


Daddy Issues

by Ectobruisebosom



Series: 4u [1]
Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Child Death, Dark Humor, F/M, Graphic Description of Corpses, Heavy Swearing, Ice Skating, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Night Guard OC, Past Domestic Violence, Slow Burn, Spooky ghost shenanigans, Unspecified Ages, adding more as i go, female oc - Freeform, graphic depictions of murder, i mean this is fnaf wtf do you expect, title from a song
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-06-23 03:16:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 47,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15597015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ectobruisebosom/pseuds/Ectobruisebosom
Summary: Take you like a drugI taste you on my tongueYou ask me what I'm thinking aboutI'll tell you that I'm thinking aboutAny chapter with an asterisk (*) at the end of it has graphic depictions of violence/gore/such and such.





	1. Night 0 - Overture *

**Author's Note:**

> hi and welcome to my burning shame

William wasn’t sure why he was so angry. He was so angry he was numb. Maybe it was because of his stupid fucking job, the feeling of being stuck in a dead end place. Maybe it was the fact that another animatronic almost snapped him into a shitty suit, or the fact it happened once before and the scars still itched from time to time. Maybe it was the complete lack of consideration for employees, the lack of safety, especially around the animatronics that were always seemingly ready to snap on someone. Or ready to malfunction, like what happened in 1978. 

Nothing seemed to go right in this damn place, not for the past week. Especially for Will, who had been trying to repair the damn things only to have it snap on him, leading to him nearly breaking the jaw piece and getting a good earful while he worked. It wasn't like he meant to nearly break the damn bear's maw, but it was either that or lose his hand - which just wasn't happening. It was always irritating for the robots who weren't even fully sentient to get better treatment than most of the employees.  He could still remember, when he was younger, nearly losing his life to the stupid fucking springtrap suits. How the management disregarded the complete lack of safety for everyone, how if the traps activated they should have just ' _tried to drag themselves away to die away from the guests._ '

It was a horrifying thought, nearly dying in one of them, much less dying alone and in pain from the traps closing in on flesh. His arm ached at the reminder, the near call he was in when he just barely managed to get out. It was stifling and terrifying and management only sent a shitty bouquet of flowers in response, a 'get well soon!' card.   
He had nearly lost his life at only 20 years old and he was  _still_ bitter about it. Then again, anyone would be.

Pulling at his collar, he shook his head. The memory was making him feel stifled, the burning irritation and the ideal of destruction was replacing the innate fear from the memory. The thoughts and sensations were burning into a simmering rage that he knew he needed to take out somehow. The little buts of roadkill were doing nothing, not even little animals, something about them too pure to make him ever want to touch. He had made animatronics, the idea of killing children, but that didn't want to pan out completely. They were still in progress, a day job with another man. 

But it was just not enough for now, and something seemed to want to push him in that direction when he felt a little hand grasp his pant leg and tug. His eyes opened and he looked down at the little girl, her wide eyes matching the pale blue check of her dress. 

“Mister? Can you help me find the bathroom?” 

She was so trusting. 

It was too bad. 

 

“Sure,” he smiled at her, letting her little hand close around his bigger one. Walking her down the hallway, he hummed a little. “It’s a bit out of the way, you’ll have to forgive the walk,” he said, glancing down at her. 

She had a short black bob, wide blue eyes, and light skin. Will figured she looked more than a little like a doll, which made him more than a little interested in seeing how she would break. What expressions she would make.

Or just if he would just make it quick. 

He wondered if it was wrong of him to think of such things for a small girl, but then another spark of irritation shot through him and he banished those thoughts away. Guiding her into the back room, he glanced back at the door and shut it. Reaching to take the crowbar, he gently nudged her forwards. “It’s across the room,” he said to her, and she beamed up at him. 

“Thank you so much, mister!” she said, her voice carefree and innocent. 

 

He had the thought of his daughter in his mind as he swung the crowbar into her head. She went down easier than he thought she would, he wondered if that was just because she was so young, or if he really hit her that hard. Pulling on her arm, he tugged her to one of the suits. Carefully pulling it down, he pulled off the head and glanced down inside of it. He would likely have to just stuff her in unceremoniously, which wouldn’t be an issue. Turning, he paused when he saw her twitch, a little moan leaving those small lips. 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he spoke, moving to grab the bar again. 

“No,” her voice was feeble, weak, her wide blue eye looking so similar to a doe’s. It was adorable, the way she was looking. 

Rubbing his fingers over the back of her cheek, he started to hum Freddy’s theme as his other arm rose. 

He struck her thrice in the head before dropping the crowbar, her head cracked open in multiple places. Red covered her face and neck, dotting and streaking that cute little dress she wore. 

“Poor girl,” he mused as he lifted her under the arms. Her head lolled, a bit of pinkish white matter falling against his hand. “Mm, gross,” he muttered, lifting her and guiding her legs into the top. Lowering her inside, it was almost easy to slide her body into the suit. He sniffed and wrinkled his nose at the scent from her, the one cutting through the blood. Pushing her the rest of the way in, he put the head on the body and set the suit back. 

 

Looking down at his hand, he hummed a bit and thought for a long moment about what the hell was on his hand, reasoning with himself on what to do. Dragging his tongue over his hand, he smacked his lips before spitting, wrinkling his nose and spitting again. 

That was a bad idea and he was regretting it. Looking around, he grabbed a rag and rubbed his hands off, pulling out the little bin of bleach they had back there as well. It was more suited to be with the mop and bucket, but he figured that this would be all right. 

Dumping it in the red puddle, he pulled over the mop and scrubbed, humming a tune to himself. When it was as clean as it would get, he washed the mop and dumped the dirty water in the drain, pulling open his shirt and sighing a little. Pulling it off, he glanced at the scarring on his arms and wrinkled his nose, pulling it back on as an afterthought. Leaving it unbuttoned, he glanced at the suit and smirked a little, stepping out. 

 

Walking back down the hallway, he found himself feeling quite a bit better than when he walked back there. Pushing his ever hanging fringe back, he was welcomed with the sounds of children squealing in excitement, with the scent of cake and kid, of cleaners, the typical public scent. He could hear adults talking, some wondering about when the party would be over, but most of it typical parental chatter. Heading to the employee only area, he slid inside and moved to grab his coat to head out. As he passed to leave, he glanced into the office to see a woman standing there, a uniform hanging under her arm. She was at the doorframe, hand on the frame as she looked back at the boss surely sitting inside of there, speaking about something. 

Almost as if she could feel his gaze on her, she turned and pinned him with bright ultraviolet eyes. A smile lifted at his lips, a response smile rising on her own face. Glancing back over her shoulder, their spell was broken and he turned away. He heard her voice, clear and lilting, a light French accent pulling at it: "I'll be in tonight, then."

Her steps were light and he held the door for her, another smile greeting him from the action. Thanking him, they walked together to the front door. As they passed the main area, he faintly heard a calling for 'Susie' and another smile rose on his face, though it was more of a smug smirk. Oh, so it was Susie. 

"I'll see you tonight," he spoke to her, a small gasp from her making his smile grow wider. Turning, he walked to his own car, the thrum of getting away with such a horrid action making him feel even more relaxed, if not elated. His move was much more improved, and he found himself wondering why he never did this before. It was such good stress relief, and the fact that he knew he was getting away with it made it all the more better. 

And now he would get to wait for her discovery, if it would ever come. 

How fascinating.

 


	2. Night 1

Taking up a job wasn’t always in her plans. The woman never preferred to overwork herself, bouncing between her ice skating and a job. But it was the off season, and she didn’t feel comfortable enough pulling from winnings to help pay her bills quite yet. 

So the job was welcome, if only for being a distraction and padding for a resume. Being a night guard for a children’s restaurant wasn’t the hardest job in the world, or it at least shouldn’t be. 

It would be a good time to relax if anything, especially after skating. A time where she could sit and just make sure nothing was tampered with - it seemed decently easy. 

Maybe that’s why it didn’t pay a whole lot too. 

 

Rolling up to the pizzeria, she gazed at it. The place looked like a box, a simple look to it that somehow looked more frightening at night than it did in the day. Well, then again, everything looked scarier at night. 

Hopping out of her van, she shut the door and headed inside. Ducking into the employee’s room, she clocked in before heading back out. Passing the stage, she looked up at the animatronics up there. They were tall, much taller than she was and definitely taller than the children. In the daylight they seemed peaceful, almost bumbling about silly-like. But in the dark...they seemed like avenging angels in a way, haunting and more than a little unnerving. Glancing at them all, she lingered briefly before huffing soft at Chica. “You’re my favorite,” she told the bird before turning away, heading down the hallway. Glancing at the dim lighting, she looked up before pausing to gaze at the children’s drawings lining the walls. There were quite a few of Freddy, a smattering for the others. It seemed like Bonnie was another favorite. Humming soft, her dark fingers trailed over the muted white of the paper before turning, looking at the slight light from the office. 

 

Walking to the door, she ducked inside before tipping her head curiously at the man already there. He was the same one from when she had first been hired, the one who held the door for her. 

Well, this was actually rather nice. 

He sat languidly, leaning over something on the table. He sat back at her arrival though, his arm retracting from being outstretched. “Oh, hello again,” his accent made his voice smooth and she smiled at him, being greeted with a smile in return. 

God, his eyes looked so tired. 

“Hello,” she greeted, glancing down a moment before walking. She immediately kicked an arm piece, making her jump and nearly step on a jaw fragment. “Oh my stars and garters, are you trying to deter potential whatevers from getting in here?” she looked down at everything before leaning down, picking up the eye that she really would have busted her ass on. Creeping to the other seat, she set the eye down before turning and starting to pick up the other pieces. 

The male reached and took a couple pieces from her hands, making her give an annoyed noise and drop all of the little pieces in front of him on the desk. 

“Oh, look at you,” he hummed, looking amused as he cleared a portion of them out of his way as she sat down again. 

“What do you mean look at me, meanie?” she pouted at him, to which he turned to her and laughed a little. His hazel eyes glimmered with amusement, deep bruises under them. Looked like he didn’t sleep very well. 

Forgetting the fact he was essentially a stranger, she reached out and touched his cheek gently, rubbing her thumb against the bruise, to which he blinked at her in clear confusion. The heel of her hand brushed against a light bit of stubble on his cheek, her curled ring and pinkie fingers brushing his cheekbone. 

His hand closed over hers, pulling it away from his face with another laugh. “Aren’t you bold? Walking in here, dumping parts in front of me, and now touching my face? Without even giving me your name?” his tone was teasing, head tipping to the side and  _ god damn it  _ he was absolutely right. 

“Oh my stars. I’m sorry,” she gave a little nervous giggle, flexing her fingers when he let her hand go. It wasn’t that he held her hand tight at all, but his fingers were surprisingly cold. She wasn’t sure if it was because she was generally warm or what, but it was still startling. “My name’s Cecilia, you can call me Cee,” she greeted, glancing at her still hovering hand before offering it for him to shake. 

“You sure you don’t want to grab my face again?” he said, and she swatted his outstretched hand in response with a pout. He grabbed her hand when it connected, the chill giving her a little startle. “William. You can call me Will,” he seemed to be smiling at some joke she didn’t realize, making her raise her brows slightly. He squeezed her hand and shook it before letting her go. Resting her hand on the blue slacks, she felt her neck burn a little. Turning away, she glanced at the eye on the table and lifted it up. “Mm,” she glanced at him before nudging him with her foot. She ended up making his chair turn slightly, an odd expression coming over his face - more like blank surprise - before he turned to look at her with a raised brow. 

 

“Catch,” she said, and tossed the eye at him. Raising his brow, he caught it with a little snort, tossing it back to her gently. Catching it, she tossed it back to him and he shook his head, setting the eye on the desk and turning back. “Don’t play around,” he said, though it wasn’t in a scolding tone at all. Giving him a pout, she glanced at the blinking light on the phone and reached up, tapping the button. 

The phone beeped before a voice spoke up. 

 

“ **_Uhh, hello? Hello hello?_ ** ” 

 

Her jaw dropped and she leaned forwards, setting her cheeks in her palms. “Oh,” she looked delighted as the voice on the phone started to ramble on. Now that was a soothing voice, a simple chatter that was more than a little rambly, and stammering. But he seemed to mean well. 

Nearly halfway through, Will reached out to presumably turn it off, and she gasped in offense and grabbed his hand. “No, don’t,” she scolded, pushing it back to him. He scoffed in amusement, his hand coming back once more. “No!” she whined when his fingers brushed the bottom of the phone, setting it on some random part on the table. 

 

“ **_So, just be aware, the characters do tend to wander a bit,_ ** ” he continued, and she gave Will a confused look. He smiled and pointed at the tablet before his hand darted out to the phone. “William!” she squealed, all but pouncing on his arm and pulling his hand back again. He laughed at that, wiggling his arm in such a way that she could feel his muscles working. It felt a little funny, she let up on his arm and he drew it back. Leaning forwards to listen again, she drew the tablet closer and flipped it up, checking on the animatronics. Yeah, they looked to be in spots not close to the room. Though Chica was in the kitchen, she didn’t really see her very well but Cecilia wasn’t about to worry over that. 

 

“ **_Uh, the only parts of you that would likely see the light of day again would be your eyeballs and teeth when they pop out the front of the mask, heh. Y-Yeah, they don't tell you these things when you sign up,_ ** ” at that, she shot an aghast look at Will. Said man gazed back at her, hands resting on the parts as the message finished up. 

“So, they probably don’t tell about the potential death because, you know, that would be pretty bad when you’re trying to get someone to work,” Will said when she didn’t say anything, still too stunned at that. 

“Oh, yeah, that’s absolutely safe to do,” she said before furrowing her eyebrows, pouting a little. “I don’t like that,” she commented then, turning to look out at the rest of the room. Moving to stand, she walked on over to the filing cabinet, plucking the stuffed bear sitting upon it. Walking back over, she sat back as he went back to tinkering. Watching him a moment, her fingers rubbed over the soft fur before her fingers found the nose. 

_ Squeak.  _

Her lips parted and her jaw dropped in shock, eyes widening as she looked down at it. “Oh my stars,” she said, starting to squeak the nose a few more times. Will’s hand came into view then, grabbing hers and pulling it away, setting it on the table and patting her hand gently. 

“No, no no. No squeaks,” he said, and she stared at him as she squeaked the nose with her other hand. He gave a flat expression and she giggled, moving to lean forwards and glance at the tablet again. 

 

“Where - where’s Bonnie?” she asked, and he glanced out at her side. “Turn the lights on, check over there,” he said, turning to look at his own door. Curiously, she moved and set the bear on the desk, heading to the panel. Turning on the lights, she jerked back with a gasp and slammed the button to the door, trembling a bit. That was startling to see, Bonnie standing there in all his purple glory. The fur up close was saturated heavily, but she wasn’t completely sure if it was from the lighting or merely age. Either ways, having such a creature suddenly so close was enough to kick her heart into a painful squeeze, her hand coming up to hold briefly. 

“Just flick the light at him a few times,” Will’s smooth voice cut through the panicked buzzing fogging her head, “and he’ll go away.” 

Taking a deep breath, she kept the door shut but flickered the lights at him. “Go away!” she shouted to the rabbit through the glass, making a shooing motion with her hand. 

After a few more moments of standing there, she flicked the lights on again and jumped when he seemed to be leaning on the glass. She immediately after exploded in such harsh cursing that even a hardened sailor would blush, varying between English and, when it wasn’t deep enough, French. 

The third time was the charm and she let the door up, walking back to Will and sitting down next to him once more. Setting the bear back in her lap, she glanced at him to see that he was giving a rather amused expression at her. 

 

“What?” she asked with a little pout, trying to stop her hands from shaking. 

“Nothing, didn’t realize you had such a mouth on you is all,” he said, a bit amused as he watched her lean her head on his shoulder. 

He smelled like cleaner and cloves, it made her feel a little lightheaded. Why was he smelling like cleaner? “He startled me,” she responded, a bit of a pout to her tone as she drew her knee up to her chest, staying nestled against him. Her pillow didn’t seem to mind, going back to tinkering and glancing at the tablet from time to time. He shut the door once from where they were, merely pressing a long bit of tubing to the switch and leaving it there. “Shoo,” he muttered, making her lift her head and giggle a little at him. Was he being silly on purpose? It was amusing, it made her feel a bit better. 

 

*

 

When 6AM rolled around, the two stood. Stretching, Cecilia looked up at her companion and laughed a little, reaching up to push some of his brown locks back. Seemed like some wanted to fall into his face. “Thanks for being a great partner tonight,” she said, and he hummed a little, giving a slight smile. 

“My pleasure,” he said, resting a hand on her back and guiding her out of the office. The two walked together, the rising sun bathing the outside room with a soft glow. Her expression went soft as they got to the open lobby, the soft glow and the sleepiness of the next shift making her feel as if the wild night was worth it. 

“It’s lovely,” she murmured, and he chuckled a bit. 

“Is it? I suppose so,” he agreed, his hand touching at her curls before he moved away, heading to the doors. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow. Get some rest,” he said, his expression making the warm feeling grow inside. Giving a grin, she waved at him. 

“You too, William. Good morning.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love bantering


	3. Day 2

Her skates somehow ripped a hole inside of her bag. Cecilia didn’t discover that until she lifted it the next day, having woken up at 2PM and sorely wanting to skate, and nearly everything went tumbling out. Groaning, she hung her head back and gathered it up, holding the hole shut and gingerly carrying the bag as if it were a firstborn child. Setting it in the passenger seat, she slid into the driver’s seat and leaned her head back, shutting her eyes in a moment of irritation. She couldn’t believe it happened. She was usually so good about making sure nothing happened to her skates, nor the bag, and now the latter was ripped and she worried that it meant the blades were going to dull somehow from that. 

 

Heaving a loud sigh, she turned the key in the ignition and rolled down the window, resting her elbow against the side of the window as she drove one handed to the hardware shop. That would likely have heavy duty tape, hopefully something much better and would withstand the blades being sharp as they were now. 

Maybe they were overly sharp. Was that even possible? 

Hissing softly, she rolled up and parked, rolling the window up before hopping out. Heading inside, she rubbed her head and hoped she wasn’t about to give herself a stress headache. It was well lit and surprisingly empty, though she figured most people weren’t going to be out on a monday during normal work hours. Reminded yet again of the strange place she worked, her lower lip caught between her teeth and she breathed through her nose, shaking it off and walking through to get to where she assumed the tapes would be. 

Rubbing her cheek as she stared at the pliers, she pursed her lips and realized she was likely in the wrong aisle. She really needed to get around here more often, but at the same time she never needed to. 

 

Listening absently to the chatter of a young girl, Cecilia headed down another aisle, pushing her hair back. These were drills and nuts. “How many drill bits does a person need?” she tsked softly, staring up at them before turning to start walking. When she had, she stepped directly into something and immediately she jumped back with a surprised yelp, knocking into the little cabinets. 

Said something was a very familiar man holding the hand of a younger girl, who was giggling softly. “Oh, Will!” she straightened up and smiled, his own greeting her. “Hello there. Sorry we gave you a fright,” he responded, his tone light. Almost teasing? “Elizabeth wanted to say hello,” he added, looking down at the younger girl. 

Following his gaze, she leaned down and flashed a big beam at her, offering a hand. “Hello, miss Elizabeth. My name is Cecilia, it’s nice to meet you,” she greeted. Elizabeth’s little hand took hers and she giggled, the woman smiling warmly at her. 

“Hello!” she greeted back before drawing her hand back, clinging to William’s leg. Standing once more, Cecilia chuckled softly before she looked to her coworker once more. 

“So, um, what are you doing here?” she asked casually, rubbing the back of her neck with a slight smile. It felt a little weird to see him looking casual, only in a button down and jeans. He held a basket with a few metallic items, rope, and a bit of glue. 

“I ran out of some screws when I was working, and Elizabeth needed glue for one of her mysterious projects,” he responded, another amused tone rising when he spoke of his daughter, glancing down at said girl and lightly shaking her out of her cling to his leg. “What about you?” he asked then, gaze back to her. 

“I was looking for tape, but the tape isn’t where I thought it would be,” she said, laughing a little in embarrassment. Chuckling, he inclined his head for her to follow him, starting to walk. Glancing at Elizabeth, Cecilia met her gaze and offered her hand. Holding Elizabeth’s hand, Cecilia resisted the urge to smile. Something about a small child holding her hand made her happy - it was more cute to her than anything else. 

 

When they got to the aisle, she brightened. “Wow, do you come here often?” she asked, starting to look for the heavy duty tape. She didn’t want to get anything that would easily get ripped once more, thought she wondered if it might be too much to ask for. Rubbing her chin as she gazed, she listened to his response; “From time to time. They’re close and cheap enough. What are you looking for?” 

“I need tape, my skates ripped through my bag somehow,” she responded, gazing at the packages. 

“Skates?” he echoed, reaching around her and picking out a bit of duct tape. 

“Ice skates. I’m an ice skater,” she responded, looking at what he picked out. “That looks like it’ll work,” she said, reaching to take it. He lifted it, holding it out of reach. It wasn’t hard, especially considering their height difference. “William!” she pouted, hopping a little to try to take it, but ultimately not being able to. 

“Daddy!” Elizabeth laughed at the teasing, the man grinning as he dropped the tape into his basket. When Cecilia tried to get it, his hand dropped and he held her hand albeit awkwardly, making her pout heavily. 

Giving a chuckle, Will started walking again, Elizabeth walking easily with him, Cecilia being slightly pulled along. She hadn’t planned on staying with them, but she found that she didn’t mind being pulled around and pulled into his world. 

 

“Do we need anything else?” he asked his daughter, who hummed a moment and then shook her head. “No! I think we got it all!” she chirped, smiling at him brightly. It was genuniely cute, the affection and bond clear. It was almost curious, Cecilia wondered where Elizabeth’s mother was but really didn’t want to ask right now. 

“Do you need anything else?” his gaze fell on her and she had to resist the urge to blush, shaking her head. “No, I’m good,” she responded, and he smiled right back.

Following them, Cecilia tried to protest the tape being bought for her, but William completely ignored her, instead handing her the tape and bading the cashier goodbye. 

Walking out with the family, she noticed Elizabeth seemed to be almost star-struck, interested in something. “What’s up?” she asked then, Will turning to look at her as well. 

“I...I wanna watch you skate!” The stars were practically glittering in the little girl’s eyes, and Cecilia found she couldn’t say no. 

“If your father,” calling William daddy seemed a little too impossible for her right now, “is okay with it, then I don’t have an issue,” she said, looking to the man in question. A little “pleeeeeeeeeeaaaaase” echoed up and William’s face was briefly blank before he softened, shrugging. “Okay,” he said agreeably, and Elizabeth cheered. 

 

Agreeing to let him follow her to the arena, she slid into her little car and abruptly burst into laughter. Her face was hot with blush and she genuinely was shocked at how much of a good mood she was in, especially compared to how she felt when she woke up to that discovery. Driving, she giggled from time to time, the blush not leaving her face even as she parked in the usual spot. Pulling open the packaging around the tape, she slapped a strip onto her bag over the hole, figuring she could make it prettier later. Lifting it, she held it carefully still, getting out and standing at the front. Waving when she saw the two, a smile remained on her face which made her feel a little like a dope. 

Heading inside, she greeted the front before heading to the locker room, taking Elizabeth’s hand to let her join. “Want to skate with me?” she asked lightly, and Elizabeth practically vibrated in excitement, which was all the answer she needed. Helping the younger girl get skates on, she tied them onto her tightly, making sure it wouldn’t be too loose around her ankles. Tying her own on, she stood and offered her hand to the little girl, treading out with familiar clicks. 

“William, you don’t want to try skating?” she asked with a light tease when they got out, said man leaning by the half wall around the ice. 

“Are you trying to be cute?” he responded, cocking a brow and making her laugh. “Not at all!” she responded with a big grin, to which he just shook his head at. “Maybe next time,” he said, eyeing his daughter to make sure she wasn’t about to complain. 

But the smaller was just practically sparkling in excitement, clearly interested in learning. 

 

Helping her onto the ice, Cecilia slid on and kept a gentle hold on her hand. “Have you ever done roller skating?” she asked, watching Elizabeth as she carefully treaded, her other hand on the wall. 

“Yes, with my class, but this is a bit different,” the girl wobbled, and Cecilia hummed a little. “It’s okay, I’ve got your hand. Just push off a little, somewhat like you’re walking. Since they’re tight on your ankles, you shouldn’t move and wobble too much in that regards,” she spoke easily, careful to make sure Elizabeth wouldn’t fall. 

As she did what was instructed, a little teeter of pride lit in her and she wondered if this was how coaches felt. “You’re doing well,” she complimented softly, squeezing her hand gently as she started to let up on the side of the rink. 

Watching the concentration on her face, she thought it cute if not respectable. 

Carefully, Cecilia leaned forwards to skate on one foot, closer to her face. “You feel okay?” she asked then after they completed a turn, and Elizabeth nodded. “It’s slippery,” she responded, and she straightened, setting her foot down and nodding as well. “Yeah, but you’re doing well. Do you want to try going a bit faster?” she asked, and another nod was her response. Moving, Cecilia turned and started to skate backwards, holding her hands as she kept her upright. “Okay, let’s get going,” she nodded, moving a little bit faster - enough for their hair to softly sway in the breeze they were generating. 

Humming softly as they skated, she watched Elizabeth start to straighten up a bit, still holding her hands. It was sweet, it was nice, and a smile was rising on both of their faces. 

 

After a few passes, Cecilia noticed that Will was waving to them. Moving to guide them both to the opening, she stopped easily, holding one of Elizabeth’s hands. “What’s up?” she asked, tipping her head to the side. 

“I think it’s about time for us to go, I’d like to get back to work, and Michael might be home by now,” he directed the last bit to his daughter, who gave a little hum before a ‘hmph!’ 

“I want to come back,” she spoke, a pout. 

“You better ask miss Cecilia that, little peach! It’s not up to me!” he laughed a little, and she felt a little spark of delight fizz up into her chest. Looking down at the girl, she smiled at her as she leaned down once more slightly, gazing at her clear green eyes. 

“Can I come back to skate with you?” she asked, giving slight puppy dog eyes to her. 

“Of course, little peach,” she responded, a light tone of amusement at using the same nickname Will had. Wrapping her arms around Elizabeth’s little shoulders, she lightly stroked her blonde locks before drawing back, helping her off the ice. “I’d be honored to skate with you,” she added, straightening and holding onto the side of the slight doorway. 

“Thank you,” Will murmured as Elizabeth teetered slightly as she walked to the bench, sitting down and starting to untie her skates. 

“Mmm? For what?” she asked, turning to look at him. It was a little startling to realize how close to him she was, but she didn’t move back at all and neither did he. 

“Skating with her. She seemed happy out there. So thanks,” he put his hand right in her curls, ruffling them. “I’ll see you tonight,” he added, giving a laugh as she fixed her hair with a slight pout. 

“Yeah, see you,” she waved with a tiny pout, watching him gather up his daughter and head out. They were definitely cute together, though she didn’t realize how good with kids the man was. She wondered if it came from working at the pizzeria, or maybe his daughter made him feel that sort of delight. 

“Your daughter looks like she’s going to be following in your skates,” the owner of the rink spoke up, heading over to lean against the half wall with Cecilia. A blush immediately rose and she gave a startled expression, locking her knees so she didn’t fall. “She’s super cute too, I didn’t realize you had blonde genes in you though,” the other continued like nothing was amiss, though Cecilia was still struggling to get words out of her mouth. 

“She - she isn’t - that was my coworker, that’s  _ his  _ daughter, not mine. I-I only have a son,” Cecilia managed to stammer out, fanning herself at the thought. It was really too early to be getting this excited, she really needed to calm down. “Don’t say stuff like that all of a sudden,” she complained then, wrinkling her nose at the other. 

“Oh, sorry~” she didn’t sound sorry, instead moving to lean up against the wall, obviously telling Cecilia to put on a show. 

Shaking her head, she thought quietly about how excited Elizabeth had seemed, how interested she was in the sport. It was a reminder of herself, which she liked quite a bit. 

Interesting, the man was interesting. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i started meds and while that's good, my attention has been down. and then college started and all my criminal justice/forensic classes made me think about mr afton so here i am, uploading once more. its sorta icky romantic now but i promise it'll be more horrific as it goes on  
> i just love romance & im putting the ice skating tag to use


	4. Night 2

The week passed with a comfortable sort of sense. There was still startles here and there with the animatronics, but nothing too bad as the first night. Cecilia was used to it, though not to the extent William was. 

The two bonded, now friends by the time the second week rolled around. 

They were friends when the first murder had been discovered. It was something rolling in Cecilia’s mind as she walked in that night, fixing her shirt as she stepped inside of the office. Her partner was already there, tinkering with the parts on the desk. It looked like he was a bit wrapped up in it, but dammit she was here now so he had to pay attention to her. 

“Will,” she started, sitting next to him and turning her chair to face him, her knee bumping his. He startled a bit before looking to her, looking mildly annoyed before softening. “What?” he asked, straightening from where he had hunched over the table. 

“Have you heard about the the kid’s body that was found? I can’t believe something like that happened here,” she said, drawing her brows together almost worriedly. “It’s kinda scary to think we were so close to the body!” she exclaimed then, hugging herself as the chill shot through her. 

Will chuckled a bit, leaning back casually as he watched her. “Are you frightened?” he asked, tipping his head slightly to the side. He looked almost dangerous like that, but Cecilia didn’t feel much fright towards him at all. Maybe because she knew he wouldn’t do anything, he wouldn’t hurt her.

“No. Why, should I be?” she asked, resting a hand on the back of the chair as she furrowed her brows a bit. 

He smiled a bit more, shrugging. “I don’t know. Maybe. You look young enough to be affected,” he said, and Cecilia realized he was teasing her. 

“Not everyone is an old man like you, William!” She responded, pushing his chair away a little. The man laughed, readjusting his chair and folding his arms, facing her. 

“I’m not that old, I’m not even forty,” he retorted, tipping his head to the side. 

“I’m not young!! I’m over twenty years old!” she gestured at herself then, a blush on her cheeks. “I have very obvious curves!” that wasn’t really a convincing argument, but it made the other man laugh anyway. His gaze fell on her, almost probing, and she covered her chest and turned her chair away, looking away with a hotter flush on her cheeks. “That wasn’t an invite to look at me like that!” she huffed, and her chair jerked a little as he pulled her over and turned her. 

“Look at you like what?” he asked, almost musing as his eyes drilled into hers. Keeping her hands on her shoulders, she faltered briefly under his gaze before she looked down between them, shaking her head and trying to turn the chair. No avail, he held firm and even put his hand under her chin, forcing her to look at him. “Come on, answer me,” he said, and she knew he was teasing her more. 

“Stoooop!” she whined out instead, covering his face with her hands and freezing when she heard a noise outside the door behind her. Turning, she moved up and toggled the lights, quickly shutting the door afterwards when she saw the flash of purple. 

“They’re out early,” Will’s voice came, tone nearly surprised as she heard the flip of the cameras from the tablet. Moving, he checked the lights as well before the other door shut as well. “Bonnie and Chica, huh,” he followed in a slight murmur, and Cecilia gave him a worried look. 

He flashed a brief smile to her, and she gave one back before flickering the lights. 

Bonnie hit the glass in response, giving her a hard startle before she moved and whapped the glass right back, sticking her face in it and making a scrunched up glare at him. 

 

“Are you making faces at him?” William sounded amused, and she turned back to look at him with a little pout. “I gotta have fun somehow,” she responded before turning back, moving her leg and delicately toggling the light again. Bonnie was nowhere to be seen though, so she rose a brow and let up on the door. 

Lo and behold. He was right there. “How are you gonna play me like that!?” she shouted, shutting the door again and jumping back at the ‘clunk’ from Bonnie hitting the door. “That’s what you get. No soliciting you damn rabbit!” she complained, and there was a little laugh from behind her. “Soliciting or loitering?” he asked, and she glanced at him. 

He was by his door, flicking the lights at Chica as she leaned by the window. “Both. They look like they wanna sell us something, but we’re aren’t buying!” she directed the last two words in a yell at the rabbit behind the window. 

“They want to shove us into suits,” Will responded, keeping an eye on Chica. 

The chicken left before Bonnie did, her companion moving to join her by the window. He leaned over her, nearly trapping her against the window as he flicked the lights on. She could see the expression he was making faintly through the glass, and she thought it almost frightening. 

His jaw was set, a light furrow in his brow as his hazel eyes bore into the rabbit. It wasn’t like he was making some otherworldly horrific face, but there was an underlying aura under his expression, in his eyes and around him in that moment that made her almost as frightened as a child staring at the face of the scarily unknown. 

It seemed to work on Bonnie as well, the rabbit turning as the lights flickered back off. She didn’t realize that his hand was on her shoulder, nor that she had been holding her breath before she exhaled with a woosh and his hand squeezed her shoulder gently. She felt alight with sensations, a tingle going from his cold hand down her spine, but also up and tickling her scalp. Giving a full body shudder, she stepped back slightly into him, reaching to parallel his arm and opening the door once more as it cleared. Standing with her back to his chest, Cecilia worked to relax from the brief glimpse she had of something utterly terrifying. 

The man with her was dangerous, and yet now he was looking at her with the usual slightly blank but also lightly amused expression he always had around her. Their friendship look, or something akin to that. 

 

Parting her lips to speak to him, she was cut off when she heard a loud screaming. The two turned quickly to see Chica rushing into the office, and it was Cecilia’s turn to take control. Her arm snapped out to grab Will, turning them both in a fluid motion, stepping back and unintentionally smushing him against the cabinet close to them. He gave a little grunt, but that was overshadowed by the loud metallic thuds of the chicken’s steps. 

She bypassed them, seemingly unintentional due to the fact she stopped and started turning in the doorway, her beak working to gnash her teeth. She wondered what the hell that was about as she moved, pushing Chica back while hitting the button. The animatronic stumbled back and the door shut, barring re-entry as another clunk hit the door. 

She heard lighter footsteps and the telltale noise of the tablet activating, checking before he rejoined her, toggling the lights and once more looking out the window. 

When he was satisfied, he hit the switch for Cecilia, the two standing there a moment at the doorway. 

“Well, tonight’s been exciting,” he commented, his gaze dropping to look at her. 

Cecilia was staring, wide eyed at the darkness beyond the door before she looked up at him, at the familiar expression once more. “Yeah,” she said after a moment, looking down between them before she reached out, shakily clasping his cold hand. He squeezed her hand back, pulling her gently to sit back down in their seats. 

“Are you alright?” he asked softly, leaning forwards a bit as she gazed at their knees, lightly touching. His darker purple slacks, her dark blue ones, they looked almost like a bruise together. 

“Shaken,” she admitted, looking up at him as she squeezed his hand, him returning the gesture gently. “I didn’t expect Chica to get in here,” she said, though that wasn’t really why she was so stunned. She couldn’t get his expression out of her mind, even though now he was giving a much softer one. 

“You handled it amazingly well. Thank you for trying to protect me,” he said, pulling on their hands before pressing his lips to the back of her hand, lips brushing gently over her knuckles. The tredipitation dropped and was replaced with a heart fluttering sensation, her jaw dropping slightly before she was back to blushing like a shy schoolgirl. “Now wait a minute, don’t you go kissing me out of nowhere!” she exclaimed, and he laughed, leaning and kissing her index finger in response. “You’re a dastardly man!” she pulled their hands to her, hiding her face in them as she worked to gather up courage to get him back for that. 

“Maybe so,” he mused, checking the tablet before his hand found its way into her curls, teasing one between his fingers. “But you’re blushing, so I’m obviously not too dastardly for your tastes.” 

“Stop!” she dropped their hands onto his knee, leaning up and kissing clumsily at his jaw. She leaned into him heavily, another laugh as he tipped his head back from her slight bit of force. Leaning back into the seat, he chuckled in his chest, lightly tugging on her curls to draw her head back. “Keep it up,” he remarked, and her face went much darker as she shot back, though not getting far considering he didn’t let go of her hand. “Quit teasing me!” she responded, and he sat back, obviously content with himself. “Alright,” he said agreeably, though they still held hands. 

 

Their flirting was disrupted by a faint but still loud noise coming from down the hallway. Cecilia turned her head while Will leaned forwards, tsking. “The kitchen camera’s out,” he said, and she turned to look as well. “How the hell…?” she blinked at it before she found herself leaning a little more into him, more seeking comfort than wanting to be amorous. “Can they do that?” she asked then, concerned, and he merely shrugged his shoulders. 

“Not sure, but it’s not like management will do a thing about it,” he responded, though she noted a tone of bitterness when he said ‘management’. There was obviously bad blood there, but she wondered if it had anything to do with the job they were left with, or if it was something more. Biting her lower lip, she regarded him a moment, the little furrow to his brow before his gaze went from the tablet to her and softened considerably. “Why are you staring at me so much?” he asked, a little tease as he lightly pinched her pinkie finger between his thumb and forefinger. Jerking her hand a little in shock, he held fast still, sitting back at their gaze stayed locked for the moment before she looked away, another blush rising. 

“I’m not staring,” was her response, and a little sigh left him. He made a noise indicating he wanted her to continue, but she turned away with a little ‘hmph!’. 

“Aren’t you being naughty?” he was teasing her, he sounded like a father and she shot him a pout, parting her lips to fire back when a loud bang sounded from the tablet, making her jump back against him. He leaned forwards to check the camera, sitting back. “It was from the kitchen, I suppose something’s in there,” he said, glancing out before he checked the cameras outside of the office. “I think they’re winding down though, it’s nearly 6 AM,” he said, setting the tablet down and sitting back. 

Of course, as he said that, the little alarm charmer went off, indicating that it was, indeed, 6AM. Moving to stand, she glanced at their joined hands and held a little tighter, keeping her hand in his as he stood as well. The two walked out, catching the sunrise again. 

 

“I’m not sure I’ll be over how pretty the sight is,” she mused, going along with her companion to the employee room to clock out. As they did so, the door opened behind them and Cecilia quickly let go of Will’s hand, feeling suddenly shy about being caught holding hands with him. He made a little noise of amusement, his finger hooking into her belt loop and tugging while she clocked out. “Oh, stop it,” she complained, trapped by his hold as he reached around her, clocking out as well. “You’re in the way!” she added then, moving to get out of the way of the day shift, who was surprisingly not actually where she thought they would be. 

“Of who, you? You need to be nicer to me,” he tugged up on her loop, and she swatted at his chest, though it did nothing as he towed her backwards, walking to one of the lockers. 

“Why are you dragging me along! I want to go home and go to bed!” she complained, though she perked up at the sight of the elusive morning shift. 

He had scruffy red hair, sticking up in a few places, and an unshaven olive face. “Oh, good morning you two,” he greeted, and she recognized his voice. 

“Oh! Hey there, you’re the one who left the messages, right?” Cecilia wanted to greet him, but Will kept her tethered there as he rooted around in his locker for something. “Thank you so much for that! I thought they were amusing, and really helpful!” she said, offering her hand out to shake. 

He took it, shaking with a laugh. “Glad someone appreciates them. I know your friend doesn’t,” It seemed the two knew each other, Will scoffing from behind her. “I’m Noah, by the way,” he took her hand, shaking it firmly. 

“Cecilia. It’s nice to meet the man behind the voice,” she smiled at him, letting go when he did before perking up as she was lightly tugged by Will. Swatting his hand absently, she turned to give him her attention, though not before waving as Noah went off to clock in. “What’s up, Will?” she asked as she turned her body, his arm resting around her briefly before he finally let go, turning to take her hand and place something in it. It was a peach that fit in the palm of her hand, but she realized it was glittering. Blinking at it in confusion, it seemed a little too cute to have come from Will, so she looked up at him with a confused expression on her face. 

“Elizabeth has been working on it since you skated with her. Seemed like she really liked when you called her a little peach,” he said, though there was a light tone of amusement colored over his words, “despite the fact I call her that often, seems like she liked when you did it,” he elaborated, and she gasped in shock. 

“This is...so cute. Oh my stars. Tell her I love it so much, I’m putting it on my bag so I can have it whenever I skate,” she put her other hand on her cheek, obviously delighted and touched by the present. 

“She’ll be happy to hear that,” he responded, shutting the locker behind him. “I’ll see you later, all right?” he ruffled up her curls and headed out before she could complain. 

Setting her hand over her hair, she watched him go with that easy gait of his, holding the peach in her hand. 

Brushing her hair back into place, she headed out as well, gazing at the lightened establishment. It was definitely a lot warmer in the morning glow, less frightening. She wondered what it would look like in the wintertime, a little smile lifting her lips at the thought. As she headed out, she was easily able to forget the fact that someone died in here, instead walking in the morning glow of the new day. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright.... of-staars.tumblr.com is where im gonna start putting some fnaf stuff  
> ill toss up art later, but just know that im still embarrassed by some of this lol ....   
> also next chapter will have more gore just a heads up


	5. Day 3*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes there's going to be gore, i asterisked where it will begin too

The next day Cecilia was back up around 2 once again, getting used to rising in the middle of the afternoon. Shaking out her curls, she looked down at her hands briefly before getting up. Taking a shower, she felt like she wasn’t able to get rid of the weird feeling lingering on her. She had gone to sleep happy, feeling delight from meeting a new friend and surviving a night, and also from her interactions with Will. 

But for some reason, she woke up feeling shaky, as if her dream was frightening. Letting the hot water pour over her shoulders, she sat in her tub quietly, watching the water go down the drain. She felt a sense of dread, of fear, almost childish in a sense that strongly reminded her of her younger years. Covering her face a moment, she felt the urge to cry and fought it down, not liking how out of control her emotions felt. Taking a deep breath, she put shampoo in her curls, forcing herself to keep her emotions sorted out and pushed down, at least while she washed herself. She could think about everything later, when she was on the ice and going through motions that would leave her feeling lighter. It would be okay, she had to just remind herself of that. 

 

It wasn’t until she was on the ice that she realized where that pain was coming from, the urge to cry, it was enough to make her knees feel a little weak as she slid across the ice on the outside edge of her skates. 

The child who had been murdered, the weight was setting back in. Taking a deep breath, she knew the parents were in pain, she knew a lot of things were tender and painful. But knowing how that was making her feel made it easier to understand her own worries and pain, and thus she could compartmentalize it and put it away for later times. 

Or never times. 

Exhaling as she turned, she swallowed the lump in her throat and looked upwards, the soft breeze she was generating working to soothe her. Breathing in the icy air, it was a familiar chill that relaxed her in ways that would be hard to describe. 

Turning once more, she felt a little tingle at the back of her neck and swallowed once more, looking around before startling slightly once she saw the man there. What in the world was he doing here?

Skating over to the opening where he stood, she stopped easily and rested her hand atop his, blinking at the fact that his hand felt warm compared to hers. 

 

“You’re freezing,” he murmured, hazel eyes locking on her. “Do you always get this cold when you skate?” he continued, turning his hand under hers and holding her hand. 

“Yeah, sometimes. It’s cold on the ice. Why are you here? Do you want to skate with me?” she asked, smiling a little as she tipped her head to the side. For some reason, she felt a bit better when she was around him, even though he had frightened her quite a bit last night. Maybe it was the fact he was softer with her than anything else, more frightening at the animatronics than at her. 

“You’re really trying to be cute, huh?” he retorted, pinching her cheek and tugging a little on it, making her giggle and whine. He let up with a gentle pat to the tender spot on her face, his expression light. “But no. I’m just here to see you,” he said simply, as if something like that wasn’t the most romantic shit that Cecilia’s heard in a long time. She jerked in surprise, eyes widening as a flush hit her cheeks. 

“Are - you’ll see me tonight though?” she sounded confused because she was, unused to such a man saying something she wasn’t sure how to take in any other way than being sweet as hell on her. Rubbing the back of her neck with her other hand, she watched him shrug casually, leaving it at that. 

“It brightened you right up when I said that though. You looked lost in thought out there,” he said instead, leaning up casually against the barrier to the ice, though that made him definitely in her space. 

But for once, it didn’t distract the sudden downwards pull of her emotions, the knot in her stomach as she found herself fighting back tears. No, she didn’t want to cry in front of him, that would be so fucking embarrassing. Taking a few shaky breaths to steady herself, she found herself leaning into him, seeking the comfort of him just being there. He was comforting, in his own way, despite the fact he was easily able to frighten. “Cecilia?” he spoke softly when her arms wrapped around his waist, his hands resting almost awkwardly on her back. 

 

“I’m worried, is all. I can’t stop thinking about the child that was found, how her parents must be feeling. What kind of person kills a child - I’ve - I just…As bad as it is, I hope that she’ll be the last one. All of this dredges up such bad memories for me that it - I just haven’t felt this way in a long time,” for once, she faltered as she spoke, unable to convey her emotions as easily as she usually could. Her thoughts were flying and whirling about, a sense of childish fear making her want to tell him everything, get it all out in the open in the hopes of being comforted. She held onto him a bit tighter, hands fisting the back of his shirt as she shook a little, he was cold again. Lukewarm, maybe, because she was cold too, but everything was starting to feel off kilter and wrong. 

“I hope so too,” Will’s voice sounded strange, as if he were holding something back. When she tried to draw back to look at his face, his hand burrowed into her curls and pressed her face into his chest instead, keeping his face hidden. “Sorry. I’m not making a good expression right now,” he said again in that odd tone, and Cecilia could fool herself into believing that he was trying not to cry, or trying to keep his blank expression. He had kids too, did he feel the same fear that she had? She hoped so, because she was afraid of what the alternative was. If he was trying not to laugh, if he was delighted with all of this. 

Holding onto him quietly, she took a few breaths, breathing in the scent of clove and aftershave once more. Something was missing, but she found she didn’t care. She just wanted to hold him and not feel afraid, to feel some sort of comfort from him. Moving slightly, she locked her knees and went a little pigeon-toed, wanting to be close to him but not wanting to fall off the ice. Her hand slid up his back and gently grasped the back of his neck, starting to stroke his hair as she forced herself to relax, though she could feel her fingers trembling against his skin. 

“You’ll be okay,” Will reassured her, his hand moving up and down her back before he drew back enough to look at her. He had that soft expression again, but it felt off-putting. When he smiled, a chill as cold as the ice under her skates went through her and she couldn’t help the shudder that shot through her. Her hands moved to hold onto the front of his shirt, gazing up at him quietly as his hand found her cheek, the touch fleeting enough to be considered a caress before he skimmed his hand through her curls. “It’s all right, don’t be afraid,” he continued, the melodious tone both making her feel comforted but also like she was about to start crying, biting her lower lip as she tore her gaze from him, looking down at their feet instead. Her leg warmers fell easily and brushed the tops of her ice skates, her knees down completely covered by the pastel pink fabric. Gazing at something that bright made her feel a little better, a little more centered as she leaned her head into Will’s hand, taking a few even breaths. 

“Do you feel better now?” he asked, and she merely nodded, not trusting her voice. “You have to say it for me to believe it, starlight,” he murmured, moving her head to make her look at him. 

“I feel better now,” she said quietly, palms laying flat on his chest as she worked to make herself actually feel that. There was a small tingle from the nickname, a sense of comfort over his light bit of worry for her, but otherwise she still felt a little like lead. 

“I feel...okay,” she added, her gaze flitting from his eyes to his throat before back up, pressing her lips together. “I’ll be okay, so you don’t have to worry about me anymore, mon nounours,” she reassured, taking a breath and managing a soft smile. 

Will tipped his head slightly, considering something, and then he merely nodded. His hand went from her curls to trace her jaw briefly, the touch fleeting but enough to light the bit of blush that she usually had with him. He smiled at that, a little “there we are,” as he drew back. “I’ll see you tonight, alright? You better be back to the way you usually are, or else I’ll be cross with you,” he said, which made her smile a bit more naturally. 

“Okay. Be - be safe, okay Will? I don’t want the killer to start going after adults or anything,” she said softly, pulling him into another hug. His hands rested on her back gently, pressing her lightly into him before he drew back, pushing back her fringe. He pressed his lips to her forehead, making her gasp softly before gazing at him endearingly, pressing her lips to his cheek in response. He smiled softly, more to himself, nodded, and turned around to head off. 

 

Watching him go, Cecilia felt a sense of worry come over her. Was this the right thing to do? Touching her forehead where a little tingle lingered when he kissed her, she had the childish urge to call out to him. Staying quiet instead, she watched him go to the door and turn slightly to face her. Giving a little wave goodbye, he smiled at her and she could only wave back, giving him a smile that didn’t feel right in return. 

 

*

 

The cruelty of children was such an awful thing. Ostracizing a little boy, who was obviously so upset he was crying, which really would lead to his death. 

Will found it easy to surprise him, smiling as he took the boy’s hand to help him get cleaned up. He spoke in low tones, soothing the boy, telling him there was no need to cry. Of course, he cried a little harder, and Will smiled patiently as he watched. 

“Come on, cheer up. You don’t want to make that face for Bonnie, right? He’s very excited to see you,” he spoke easily, soothing the boy as he gradually calmed at the mention of Bonnie. It was a little clumsy to hold his hand through the suit, but it worked well enough considering the boy clung to him. Walking with him to the back room, he grabbed a napkin as they passed a table, handing it to the boy so he could wipe his face. 

“There you go. Come on, Bonnie’s waiting, there’s a party,” he continued, leading him to the back room. 

 

Shutting the door behind him, he hummed soft before turning and shoving the boy hard and violently into the concrete wall, a sickening crack echoing in the room made him pause. Glancing back, he was pretty sure it was still quiet out there, and he was hoping for sure that nobody heard. Maybe it was a little dangerous, but at least it would work out for him. 

Pulling off the head, he shook his hair out and carefully undid the back of the suit, pulling it off and setting it aside. Smoothing down his shirt, he looked at the small child who was softly sobbing, struggling to remain conscious. 

“Don’t be afraid, it’s alright,” he spoke soothingly, moving towards the boy. He scrambled into the wall like a feeble little kitten, and Will merely reached out and easily closed his hands around his throat, feeling the soft muscle give way under his hands. The boy let out a pathetic squeak, an odd shuttering breath, and then he fell limp under his hands. Lifting him easily, Will moved and pulled the head off of Bonnie, pushing the boy in albeit with less finesse that he had done with the first child. 

And the other that had not yet been found, apparently. 

But that was all right. 

Setting the head back on, he smirked a little at the purple rabbit, setting it back easily. “Let’s see if you bother us anymore, mm?” he patted the matted fur before turning away, striding out without looking back. Nothing to clean, so he was really get off scott-free on this one. It was quite the confidence booster, a little smile rising on his lips as he glanced at the brightness from the front of the establishment. 

Pushing his hands into his pockets, he glanced back at the room for a brief moment before he turned back, starting to head out into the daylight, the simulated brightness, and into the daytime. 

He had to pick his daughter up, after all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know im uploading a lot but tbh....this is the only thing that's been keeping my attention and muse so im just gonna ride it


	6. Night 3*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gross stuff incoming - depiction of a dead body

It was starting to smell.

Bonnie had been missing in action for about three days, and by now there was a smell Cecilia genuinely couldn’t ignore. Covering her mouth and nose, she scrunched up her face, trying to place what the hell the smell was. It was putrid, genuinely almost making her want to vomit.

Glancing at Will, he seemed unaffected by it, which was genuinely a shock to her. Did he just not smell anything, was it all her? She waited to see if it would wear off, but around 4 AM she had just about enough.

“Will,” she called behind her hand, her voice muffled but enough to catch his attention. Turning to look at her, he rose a brow at what she was doing before he set the screwdriver down, giving her his full attention. “Do you smell that?” she asked then, waving her hand around her face.

“Smell what?” he asked, sniffling slightly. “My nose is stuffed up. Small cold,” he said, leaning over a little to look at her a bit closer. “Why, what do you smell?” he asked, and she shook her head with a slight wince.

“I don’t know. It’s - nauseating. Is there anything on the cameras?” she asked, turning to look at the tablet. She kept her mouth and nose covered, flipping through as Will leaned over to look as well. Nothing was amiss, though Bonnie seemed to already be on the move.

Holding her hand over her face still, she looked at the cameras outside of their office before she turned to look at him in confusion. “I can’t find him,” she said then, shuddering at the scent. “Ugh, I feel sick,” she leaned down, shutting her eyes a moment.

“Mmm,” he watched her a moment before touching her back gently. “Sorry I can’t join in on the pain,” he commented, and so she gave him a glare.

“Bastard,” was her response, giving him a little shove before she stood up, shaking her head. “Come on,” she reached to tug on his arm, though he remained seated for a moment, giving her a confused expression.

“Come on where?” he asked, tugging on her right back. She locked her knees and held him, pouting briefly, before shaking her head at the scent. Would she ever get used to it? She really hoped so.

“We’re gonna find where it’s coming from! If the animatronics have been quiet, just bring the tablet! There’s no reason we can’t just walk around,” she pulled on him again, finally getting him up on his feet. “Come on, it smells really bad,” she complained softly, pulling him once more as he stumbled slightly, starting to walk with her insistence. “I don’t usually recommend venturing out, you know,” he commented as he grabbed a flashlight, just in case they needed it.

“Don’t care. Where’s the cleaning supplies?” she asked, and he had to stamp down the urge to smirk. Luckily, outside was dark enough that he could relax a little, a slight smirk rising on his face as she took his hand, staying close. “In the backroom,” he responded evenly, knowing that was the source of the smell as well.

 

The two walked in relative silence, Cecilia holding her hand over her mouth and nose as the scent got worse and Will lost in thought. When they arrived at the back room, Cecilia nearly threw up from the overpowering stench, shuddering hard. Pulling him in, she turned on the lights and flinched slightly at the sight of Bonnie crumpled a bit awkwardly, seated and slumped. “Bonnie, you smelly bastard, still causing me troubles,” she muttered as she walked forwards boldly, letting go of Will’s hand and reaching out. The head gave way easily, and she lifted it off.

Looking down, for a moment her brain short-circuited, disbelief in what she was looking at.

A decomposing child, a boy with brown hair slicked to his forehead, ugly mottled bruises on his thin throat. Eyes shut, blessedly, but his blue lips were parted and his tongue was starting to swell. Actually, it seemed like many things were swelling, rigor mortis came and passed, leaving him awkward within the rabbit.

Letting out a shriek, she dropped the head and jumped backwards into a familiar chest, turning immediately to cling to his shoulders. Starting to shake, her jaw was dropped as another cry left her, the stench briefly overpowering before fading from the sheer shock. Her voice wavered and faltered, shaking hands digging nails into the other man’s covered shoulders. Shutting her eyes tightly, she turned and buried her face into his neck, breathing harshly as she worked to process what she was seeing, what to do, what it meant.

Will’s hand rested in her curls, holding her securely. “I know, I know. It’ll be okay,” he spoke soothingly, but it felt discordant.

“He - I - Oh, w-we have to, we have to call someone, something,” she stuttered and stammered, trying to pull away then and taking a stumbling step forwards, reaching out to the body. “I have to get him out,” she shook hard, vision blurring before strong hands took hers, wrapping them around herself and pressing her into a chest, turning her away.

“No, no, you’ll get hurt. Tampering with that could give you diseases, not to mention if you called you might get found as a suspect,” Will continued levelly, as if this wasn’t a huge shock. She started squirming, sharking hard as sweat started to drip down her cheeks, breaths coming in harsher pants.

“No - I don’t, I don’t care - William he’s _dead he’s fucking dead,_ ” she leaned forwards then, lightheaded as she struggled a moment to get ahold of herself. “De - ah,” he was turning her, pressing her into him and hiding her sight from the body.

“Let me handle it. I’ll tell management, all right?” he soothed, squeezing her a little as she took a heavy breath. “Just breathe, focus on calming down. There isn’t anything you can do,” he squeezed her a bit more before relaxing, allowing her to press her face into the crook of his neck. Her breaths were shaky, but his scent was soothing. She was still terrified, but she was settling into a numb sort of shock.

 

“Come on. Let’s go back, there’s nothing we can do here. Especially about the smell, unfortunately,” he spoke up after a handful of minutes of them holding each other. Moving back, Cecilia gave a nod, starting to look over again when Will turned her gently, blocking the view. “Go on, starshine. Don’t look,” he guided her out, letting her go first. Shutting the lights off, the two held hands once more. Cecilia’s hand was cold and clammy at this point, a little shake as they walked.

“I can’t...believe it,” she managed as they neared the light of the office, heading in together. Guiding her to her seat, they sat next to each other once more. Cecilia sat with a blank look, still trying to process. Will checked the tablet before he considered her. It was interesting how something like this quieted her, sucked all of the life out and left a shell.

It was a familiar chill for her, a familiar terror and she couldn’t feel any morsel of contentment at that point. She was still frightened, the scent completely gone for her at the moment. There just was a disconnect from everything, she was genuinely shocked from the discovery of a body. Will was so calm through it, which was lucky for both of them. But the child...and the smell...

Staying dead silent, the night was quiet with only the slight tinkering from the man next to her causing any noise. Maybe they were all quietly having a moment of silence for what was going on, for the horrors and from death’s consistent appearance in there.

 

At 6AM Will stood first, then she did and nearly stumbled. Grasping hands, the two walked out once more. Clocking out, it was almost weird how blank she was towards the sunrise. Dimly waving to Noah, Will just merely told him to check the backroom before he looked down at Cecilia.

It was a quick decision, but he made it.

“Come home with me.”

That seemed to rouse her, she blinked before looking up at him with a confused expression. “What?” she asked softly, finally starting to process what he said. “Go home-?” she swallowed hard before looking up at him, looking a little dazed still. “What about my car?”

“Wake up,” he cupped her face and leaned down, kissing her forehead again before tugging on her belt loop, starting her to walk with him.

Heading out, she felt her skin crawl and neck itch as they passed through the front room, breath hitching as she refused to look backwards, beyond them where she knew the backroom lie. Blinking at the cool air, she took a deep breath and patted her cheeks, looking up at Will in the soft morning light. “Follow me home,” he said, heading to his own car.

Shakily, Cecilia climbed into her van, following the man’s Cadillac. She kept close, not letting anyone merge between them. Rolling up with him, she parked next to his car and stepped out, taking another breath as she looked up at the house.

It was quaint, cute, definitely seemed to work for a family. Feeling something brush her hand, she moved to follow it and grasped onto his hand, walking in with him.

 

“Oh,” Will spoke soft, a TV playing a child’s show on in the living room. He strode to the couch, leaning and reaching out, carefully touching the head of an older boy. He looked like a teenager, hair falling messily over his face, some freckles splashed there. Next to him, Elizabeth was curled up, blonde curls falling against her nightgown and the boy’s nightshirt.

The boy stirred, blinking and lifting his head. “Ah - dad? Mom?”

Oh - Cecilia let go of Will’s hand, blushing a bit at the accident. She remained quiet, looking between him and the older man. Will’s expression was tender, soft as he spoke low as to not wake them both up completely. “What are you doing home?” he asked softly, moving to rest over the back of the couch a bit, closer to his son.

The boy blinked at Cecilia as he answered, roused a bit more, “I’m - got kicked out and Lizzy went with me. Who is that?” he was careful not to move too much, and Cecilia merely looked over at the TV, the colors setting her ultraviolet eyes into a glittering spiel.

“I take it stepfather was there. Shame. You can stay as long as you want, though doesn’t school start soon?” he remarked before pausing. “That’s Cecilia, Michael. Cecilia, go up the stairs and to the room at the end, all right?” he spoke to her and the woman gave a nod, dimly aware.

Turning away, she looked at Michael and flashed a light smile before she headed up the stairs, soft and low tones following her, echoing faint.

Following his directions, she found what she assumed was Will’s room, bed made tidily with violet sheets. Looking around at the work desk, the blueprints and notebooks sprawled about, the closet, she deemed that it looked about right for what she imagined he would live like.

Walking to the closet, she paused at the dresser before leaning to the middle, blinking at the ratty T-Shirts she found in there. Pulling one out, she shut the door and peeled off her uniform. It felt good to be out of it, in her own skin again. Holding the shirt to her chest a moment, she shut her eyes tight and tried to recenter herself, pulling on the shirt and moving to sit on the bed, shaking a little.

 

The child.

The child.

The child.

Shutting her eyes tight, she leaned down and buried her face into the sheets, holding her head as she took a few frightened breaths, feeling tears swim her vision, hot and ready to start streaking out whether she wanted it or not. Taking a shaky breath, she wished she pulled him out. She wished she told Noah directly what they found, she wished they found him earlier, she wished and wished -

 

“Cecilia?”

Opening her eyes, she put her hands down and lifted her head, looking up and over at the man standing in the doorway. Stepping inside of his room, he shut the door carefully and unbuttoned his shirt as he walked to the bed. “Cecilia,” he said, and then his eyes fell on her legs.

The metal glowed a little from the slight sunlight that streamed from between the curtains, showing where the skin of her thighs met the metal knee and everything below.

He remained silent, though he moved and undressed as well. She turned away as he did, letting him have privacy before the bed next to her sank slightly. His hand took under her knee and pulled her around to face him. His hand was calloused and rough when it brushed the underside of her thigh, but his touch was light and reverent. “Oh, you’re something beautiful, aren’t you?” he mused, his gaze going from her metallic legs to her face.

“Do you think so?” she asked softly, moving closer to him until she pulled him into her, setting her head on his shoulder as she hugged onto his shoulders, taking a few breaths and letting his scent relax her emotions. She had him right there, he was distracting enough, she would be okay.

He made a soft noise of affirmation, his arms wrapping around her before pulling back the covers, guiding her to lay down. Her hands curled slight into his arms, the skin smooth in some spots. Tracing it absently, she could feel the pressure of his gaze and she just breathed carefully, trying not to cry still. She was just exhausted, she was tired from the huge fright and the emotional turmoil. Curling her hand slightly around his elbow, she pulled him down and quietly laid next to him.

“Good morning, Will,” she spoke quietly, reaching through the covers and grasping his hand. He hummed low, squeezing gently.

“Good morning.”

 

Closing her eyes, Cecilia nestled into the pillow, letting his hold on her hand and the overwhelming scent of him push down the turmoil and lock it away once more.

It would be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know this wasn't TECHNICALLY all night but hey whatever i dont hear anyone complaining


	7. Day 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this ended up being long and gay but enjoy

Ringing was the first thing that roused Cecilia. Blinking blearily, she hummed quietly before she felt something move out from under her shirt, trailing down her stomach before she heard rustling, then a low, thickly accented voice cut the ringing off - “William Afton speaking.”

Rolling onto her back, she blinked up at her bedmate, his hair mussed and his body slightly slumped. His eyes fell upon her as he listened to whoever was on the other side of the phone, hazel eyes lightly glowing in the slight bit of light sneaking from between the curtains. 

“Alright. I’ll come by and take a look in a little bit. Is Michael with you?” he carried on conversation, rubbing an eye before he stretched up, his back popping and making Cecilia cringe at the noise. Reaching her hand up, her dark fingers trailed up his spine carefully, the bones poking out here and there. He was so skinny. 

“Okay. Yes, I won’t be long. I’m bringing someone with me, yes. Good bye,” he hung up then, setting the phone down on the table next to him before he turned back to Cecilia, leaning down and kissing her forehead before sitting up a bit more. “Rise and shine, starlight,” he was teasing a little, which made her smile and reach up, cupping the back of his head. 

“Good morning. Who was that?” she asked, moving to sit up and stretch her arms up, giving a yawn. 

“Henry, he’s the other part of my inventions. One of them is causing problems, so he wanted me to come help out. I may have said you were coming along,” he said, faux bashful. She rose a brow, smiling a little as she leaned over, resting her cheek on his shoulder. 

“Well, if you already promised me along then I’ll go,” she said, not willing to question why he did such a thing. Instead she just lightly tugged on some of his brown locks before she shut her eyes, stifling another yawn. Truth be told, she just wanted to stay in bed and take a day of rest, but there wasn’t anything wrong with going with him to see what he was working on with the other man. 

Ah, but she was so comfortable. 

“Ah, don’t fall asleep now,” his voice was a soothing lull and she really wanted to go back to sleep, but he gently guided her to sit up on her own before he was out of bed. Ugh, now that he was gone she didn’t feel as warm. Scooting to his side, she snuffled before rubbing her eyes again, forcing herself to get up. Teetering on metal legs, she yawned and stretched up, leaning back before forwards, faceplanting directly into William’s back. 

“You alright there?” he sounded almost teasing, his tone light. It was interesting to see him like this, in the morning still pleasant. Well, okay, technically it was the afternoon, but it felt like a morning to her. 

“Yeah. You’re bony,” she said, straightening and blinking as she finally felt a little more awake, prodding his back instead. “Where’s the ba- thanks,” she started to asked before he pointed, cutting herself off and heading to the adjacent bathroom. There were two toothbrushes, so she paused a moment before leaning her head out. “Which toothbrush can I use?” she asked, not wanting to accidentally take his, or someone elses. The guest one? Who knows. 

“The purple one,” he responded without turning away from the dresser, and so she leaned back in and took the purple toothbrush. 

Quietly studying herself a little as she brushed, she pushed her messy, inky black curls away from her face, one lightly touching a scar that stretched slightly, neatly, under her right eye. Huffing through her nose, she flicked the septum ring there absently before leaning down and spitting, brushing a bit more before pushing down the bandage over the bridge of her nose. Humming, she spat again before washing the bristles, rinsing her mouth. As she wiped her mouth off, Will joined her in the bathroom wearing a rather dingy undershirt and slacks. Smiling at him, she moved to step back when she realized which toothbrush he was about to grab. 

“Ah, wait, I used that one,” she said feebly, and he just smirked at her. 

“I know,” he responded, putting the toothpaste on, “saved me the trouble of wetting the bristles,” he winked before putting it in her mouth, and she felt her cheeks burning. 

 

Why the hell was that attractive. 

 

Moving out of the bathroom, she covered her mouth and took a deep breath, struggling to grasp the fact that she used his toothbrush. And he  _ wanted  _ her to. What the hell was that?? She fanned herself a little before moving, gathering up her uniform and folding it up. Figuring they’d be back, she was fine with leaving it here while they were out. 

“I’m going to get clothes from my van,” she called to him, and he leaned out, rubbing his mouth with a towel. 

“Huh? You don’t need to, just wear one of my shirts,” he said, disappearing briefly before he came back out, pulling a button down over his shoulders. “I really don’t mind it,” he added when her lips parted, and she had to cover her face and turn away from him. “What? I’m serious,” she heard rustling before abruptly there was cool air on her back, the hem of the shirt flipped up over her head. Giving a little noise, she jumped and tried to pull the fabric back down, but nope the shirt was off now. “I didn’t realize you were the type for tattoos,” he said, and she felt his rough fingertips over her back. Taking a shaky breath, she felt a little dizzy from the sudden sensations, shivering and trying to squirm away from his touch. 

“Y-Yeah. It means a lot to me,” she managed, and he placed his palm flat over it. “Do tell,” he encouraged, tracing around some of it. 

Gathering her breath, she held the shirt over her chest and focused on her tattoo itself. “Its, um, alchemy. It’s a symbol, green lion devouring the sun. It’s got a technical symbol, but I use it for the metaphorical reasoning. It’s, um, when a person’s consciousness is overwhelmed by violent, frustrated ideas. I was sorta a mess when I was younger, but I wanted to change, so I got this as both a warning and a reminder for myself. It’s kinda hard to explain,” she babbled on a bit, stiffening her back when his grazed close to the scars the tattoo was covering. She whirled instinctively, laughing as she trembled a bit under the shirt. “Okay, give me the shirt you’ve done enough,” she said, dropping the shirt and reaching to take the new one. Instead, she was pulled in much closer, his hand flat against the bottom of her tattoo in the small of her back. 

“I’m not making a good expression,” he said, his other hand pressing her face against his chest. Shutting her eyes, she realized she didn’t understand him, and she wasn’t sure that she would be able to understand him. 

The shirt draped over her shoulders, a button up, and he pulled away as she pushed her arms through the sleeves. As he buttoned her up, she rose a brow before giggling when he got to her chest, pushing a couple of his buttons through the holes and smoothing down his collar. The sleeves were long on her, almost making her seem a bit childish. “You’re really good natured in the morning,” she commented as she rolled up the sleeves, turning and heading out of the bedroom. She was a little hungry, but didn’t want to be rude. So she instead glanced at him before ducking outside, hopping into the back of her van and pulling on her skirt. Heading back to the door, she rose her brows when he stepped out, nearly into her, shutting the door and locking it behind him. “Oh,” she turned with his guidance, getting into the passenger side of his car and putting on her seatbelt. Sitting a bit awkwardly, she glanced at him as he got in and turned the ignition, backing out and driving with an ease that suggested this was a route he knew by heart. Teasing the hem between her fingers, she glanced out the window before turning to look at him. He seemed so closed off, it was weird after being teased by him so often to now see him looking serious. Frightening, almost, except she knew he wouldn’t hurt her. 

So, she glanced at his hands before looking ahead, listening quietly to the classical music playing rather softly. 

 

“So, um, classical music?” she asked after a moment, and immediately wanted to kick herself for it. But it seemed to break the spell, a short chuckle from him before he made an affirmative hum. 

“It’s soothing,” he responded, offering nothing further than that. Seemed he didn’t want to talk that much, but unfortunately for him she was starting to get nervous. Wanted to talk, or at least get a handle on where they were going. 

“Where is this place, now?” she tried to sound casual, more level than she was really feeling, and she was proud her voice didn’t shake at all. He hummed absently and a look in his direction showed he looked as if he were considering how best to explain. 

“Henry’s shop, by his place. It’s not too far from here,” he responded after a moment. “It’s...where most of the work happens. He, Phoebe, Michael and I work there together to create animatronics. Phoebe is my ex-wife,” he explained easily, “and you somewhat met Michael last night. Elizabeth may or may not be there, along with Henry’s children Charlie and Samuel,” he took a turn and soon they were rolling past a few fields, the surroundings reminding her of a movie. She almost wanted to roll down the window, but she refrained from it and instead just leaned her arm against the handle on the door, below the handle that opened it. “It’s a little out of the way, but not too far,” he finished, falling back into silence. 

“Sounds…” interesting? Friendly? A place she really didn’t belong? 

This world wasn’t hers. She didn’t know why he was letting her in, pulling her around, almost making her apart of his world. “...Busy,” that seemed to be the best word, her eyelids lowering as she looked down, looking instead at her prosthetics lightly glinting in the warm glow of the sun. Rubbing absently against the silver hinge joint that acted as her knee, she was unsure of if she would really feel welcome. Even though she was with William, was she really going to be able to fit into a place like this? 

 

It wasn’t like she could ask to go back. Not as they rolled down a driveway, a few trees dotting the path. One held a tire swing, the closest to the soft yellow house that genuinely looked like it could be in a storybook. The porch was well loved with old loveseats and chairs, the large shop slightly behind the house not looking out of place one bit. It almost looked southern, Cecilia getting a small ache of homesickness for Louisiana. Swallowing, she unbuckled herself and got out, straightening and looking out at the gravel that served as the driveway, leading up to the shop. The matching sound of William’s door shutting had her turning to look at him, his gaze on her. “Come on,” he inclined his head and she nodded, walking with him. 

She heard running feet and had no time to react to the large husky running at her. Laying flat on her back under the ball of fluff, she started laughing as the wet nose sniffed and snorfed and then a large tongue started licking her face. Another littler nose joined, a glance told her it belonged to a rather adorable pug who started to snort and lick her face too. 

“Bella! Cooper!” Will’s voice spoke up, his hand appearing to gently guide the husky off of the small woman, another hand pulling her up by her hand. Wiping at her face, she laughed in utter delight, his hands petting her curls to get the gravel out. 

“Sorry about that,” another voice came, a light twang to it. Looking up, and then a bit further up, she found the man who must have been named Henry. His dark hair was pulled back into a messy bun, and it was clear he hadn’t shaven thanks to the scruffle over his bronze cheeks. “Cooper got out of the shop somehow, Bella wouldn’t have been able to take you down like that,” he added, rubbing the back of his neck before offering a hand. “I’m Henry, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Ah, likewise. I’m Cecilia,” she took his hand and shook firmly, his grip strong and hers matching. A flash of something went over Henry’s face before he let go, settling into something arguably more friendly than William’s resting bitch face. 

“Let me see what the problem is now,” William smoothly cut in, and Henry nodded before gesturing for them to follow him. Walking, Cecilia smiled at the husky, Cooper, who trotted right alongside her. 

“Good boy,” she murmured, petting his head. 

“Thanks,” Will retorted, and she rolled her eyes but reached up, rubbing his head too. He laughed a bit, letting her go in first before shutting the door behind him. 

 

The first thing that was noticeable were the fans. There were a couple scattered about, blowing into a drone that wasn’t unlike what the office fan sounded like at night. It was background noise, surrounding the animatronics that ranged from endoskeleton frames to near-complete, though assumptions could be made that they were the ones with the problems that required Will. 

She could see a woman working on something that looked like a ballerina, her blonde locks tied back in a little sprig of a ponytail. She was casually dressed, tinkering closely with the joints of the animatronic. Next to her, Michael was supporting whatever they were using for the joints, slightly hidden between their bodies. Looked metallic, Cecilia didn’t really know any proper mechanical terminology. 

A little tug pulled on her shirt and she followed it, glancing down at Will’s hand pinching the hem of the shirt, pulling her along almost like it was a leash or something. It wasn’t too far, they were in front of a blue rabbit that was laying on its back, the entire chest and stomach plate completely removed and opened. The connections, rods and wire were on full display, seemingly random until she realized they all had a purpose in what they were doing. Shooting Will a confused look, she wasn’t quite sure what she was doing here with them until he lifted her up and set her on one of the stools. “Sit there and hold this,” he set a few tools on her lap and in her hands, flashing her a slight smile before he leaned over the one side, his foot hooking around the bottom of the stool and rolling her closer to his side. 

He studied the inside a moment, Henry lingering on the other side briefly before he moved and pulled the head off of the rabbit, making Cecilia jolt briefly before relaxing, forgetting that the animatronic wasn’t technically moving. 

Looking away from the collar, she felt a little discomfort at looking inside of a rabbit through the head, shutting her eyes and trying to push the child’s body out of her mind. 

“Will. What are you doing?” she asked, though it sounded more like a statement when she said it. Opening her eyes, she noted his brief look to her, then Henry before looking back inside. 

As Will began, his voice created a soft lull that was rather calming for her. 

She didn’t understand a goddamn thing he said. 

He trailed off at times, pressing his lips together and furrowing his brows in concentration before he remembered himself and told her what he did. He took tools and handed them back, sometimes catching her by surprise but she was able to work easily with him. After around twenty minutes, Will straightened and looked to Henry. “Hey,” he said, catching the other’s attention, “I think I found it. Not sure how, but internal wires were tangled,” he said, and then looked down inside. Then he looked at Cecilia. 

“Come here,” he took the tools off her lap and set him on the already cluttered table, then rested his hands near her booty, which made her instinctively startle and curl up a little, giving him a confused expression as he guided her right up to the animatronic. “I need you to reach in and untangle the wires. Your hands are the smallest out of us,” he said, pointing to her hands. 

“Oh, uh, okay,” she leaned over a bit, searching a moment before she found the tangles. Swallowing, she reached a hand in hesitantly. As soon as her hand brushed one of the wires, Will’s voice was in her ear, a little “zap!” from him as he pinched her lower back. She let out a little squeal in response, jumping and grabbing onto his hands to keep herself from falling into the open cavity, turning to look at him with an offended expression. 

He was laughing, Henry coming with the assist and swatting the back of his head. “Don’t scare her when you’re forcing her to help, you bastard,” he scolded the still laughing Will. He rested his head on her shoulder briefly before straightening, smiling at her. 

“Sorry, sorry sorry. Go ahead, I won’t scare you.” 

She pouted at him before turning back, reaching in and touching the wires with one hand, reaching a second in afterwards and leaning up, trying to stand up on the footrest of the stool. “Will,” she started when she felt like she would fall, but his hand fisted into her shirt and held her steady. “You’re fine,” he reassured, and she nodded and continued to work. 

 

When it was untangled, a jolt went through her and she gave a loud gasp, jerking her hands out and back, falling into Will. He teetered a moment before he was falling back as well, taking out Henry on the way down. They all ended up in a pile, Cee on the top with her hands stinging madly, fingertips almost smoking. Will was right under her, a hand over her stomach while the other apparently was caught on Henry’s chest, her head leaning back on Henry’s shoulder. 

“Oh fuck that hurts, ow ow,” she blew on her fingertips before sitting up, Will giving a little wheeze and gently readjusted her, pushing her more into his lap before he was sitting up, Henry taking an extra moment before he was up as well. 

“Are you okay?” came the woman’s voice, steps coming over and joining the group sitting there. 

Cecilia and Will were staring at Cecilia’s fingertips, the skin scorched a little. “What happened?”

“Cecilia got her first mechanical shock, that’s all Feeb,” Henry responded, taking Feeb’s outstretched hand and getting up. “You okay?” he directed the question to the other woman, who nodded after a moment. 

“Yeah, yeah I’ll be okay. It was more startling than anything, and it hurt,” she sat back a little and pouted before straightening when she remembered who ‘Feeb’ was and exactly who the hell she was sitting on. She squirmed a little to try and get up, but Will held fast, keeping her in his lap. “No, I want to make sure you’re okay. Stay here a moment,” he said, taking one of her hands to inspect her fingertips. “You really got yourself good,” he commented, and then she felt his lips touch her stinging skin. She nearly jumped out of her skin, holding his hand a bit tighter before she looked at her other hand, biting her lower lip worriedly. 

 

“Dad, let her up please,” Michael sounded a little embarrassed, and the pressure let up. Cecilia remained sitting for a moment before she got up, turning and helping Will up. He held onto her hand for an extra moment, gazing at her with a slight smile before letting go, patting her back instead. “Thank you for helping us out,” he said, and she nodded with a little frown. 

“No problem. I’m gonna wash my hands, Henry-?” she started before Michael reached out, waving his hand to her. 

“I’ll show you, come on,” he cut in, and she nodded and headed off to follow him. Keeping her eyes forward, she held her hands carefully as they walked out of the shop into the house, ending up right in the kitchen. “Here,” he pointed to the sink, turning it on for her before he reached up into a cabinet to get bandages. 

Holding her hands under the water, she watched him as he moved, noting how sturdy and focused he was. Especially when he wasn’t half asleep. 

“Um, I’m sorry for...not properly introducing myself last night,” she said after a moment, hitting her hand on the handle to turn the water off, grabbing a paper towel and lightly drying her hands. 

“What? It’s okay, we were both out of it. I’m sorry for accidentally calling you mom,” he responded, a little blush tinging his cheeks. He seemed so boyish, it reminded her of her own son. Smiling a little, she tipped her head before showing him her fingertips when he made a gesture for her to. Looking over them, he put a bandage on the ones extremely scorched which ended up being her pinkie on her left hand, her index fingers, and middle finger of her right. “Oh, thank you,” she looked at her fingers before reaching and squeezing his shoulder in thanks, not wanting to overstep her boundaries. 

“No problem,” he flushed and set the first aid kit back, pausing before he turned to her, his hazel eyes serious and almost completely reminding her of his father’s. “Um, Cecilia right?” he asked, and she nodded, looking curious at what he wanted. “I’m not sure how to say it, but...I want you to be careful around Dad. He’s dangerous, okay? He is,” he grasped her wrist a moment, leaning in, “I’m serious. Please...just keep the fact that he’s dangerous in the back of your head, okay?” he let up then, and she blinked at him, feeling a chill shoot through her again. 

“Oh...okay. Okay, I will,” she stammered a little before nodding, taking a breath before flashing a smile. “But you won’t have to worry about me, Michael, because that’s not your job,” she said, lightening the mood. Turning her hand and grasping his hand instead, she squeezed reassuringly and did her best to not be the condescending adult that nobody liked. “It’ll be okay,” she added, tugging him in gently and wrapping her arm around his shoulders, boundaries being damned right now. He paused before hugging her back rather hard, his hand pressed hard between her shoulder blades as he buried his head in her shoulder. He let go of her hand and put his other arm around her, and she wrapped her arm right back around him and held him tight. “It’s okay, Michael,” she reassured again, combing her fingers through his messy locks. 

 

“Am I interrupting something?” a feminine voice sounded behind Cecilia and she turned, blinking at Feebs. Phoebe. 

Oh, fuck that’s Michael’s mom. 

“No,” she smiled, rubbing his shoulders gently before they broke apart. “We were just having a bonding hug,” she said, opening her arms slightly as a joke before lowering her arms when she didn’t seem amused. 

“Well, Henry and Will were talking about dinner before you two go to work. Figured you guys were taking a little long though, so I came to see if you two were all right or if we needed to get an ambulance out here,” she said, folding her arms before inclining her head to them to head back out. Feeling more than a little scolded, she glanced at Michael and rose her brows before she followed the other woman back to the shop, staying quiet as she was unsure about how to react and act appropriately for the woman. She was Will’s ex-wife, and she wasn’t sure if she was irate or not, or if that was just a general disposition. Brushing it off as they got back to the shop, she met eyes with Will and the two of them immediately were smiling at each other, a little giggle leaving Cecilia as she stood beside him, reaching to casually hold onto a belt loop behind his back. “What did I miss while I was getting bandaged up?” she asked, looking between the two men. 

“Henry was thinking about pizza, I don’t have any cares but I don’t want pizza,” Will said, shooting Henry a look. 

“You mean you don’t want our Fazbear pizzas?” a shit-eating grin rose on Henry’s face as Will let out an irritated groan, pinching the bridge of his nose. “They’re delightful when we heat them up,” he added, winking at Cecilia, who started laughing. 

“Not a pizza guy? There’s probably other stuff you can get from wherever you get the pizza from,” she offered, accidentally bumping into Michael as he walked up. 

“I’m putting my vote in for pizza,” he said, ignoring his father’s dirty look. Casually tugging on Will’s belt loop, she bumped her hip into his and looked up at him, goading a little quirk on the side of his mouth. 

“Come on, I sorta want to see you with a slice of pizza. The dapper and illustrious William Afton,” she spoke the latter half in a deep, british accented voice that would be something like the man’s she was speaking of. A little cough left him before he was laughing a little behind his hand, a grin lifting her face as she leaned in. “Come on, pizza time,” she continued in the imitation, and he shot her a look. 

“Oh, you little - c’mere,” he grasped her then, letting her let go of his belt loop before he lifted her a little, fingers pressing into her sides as she let out a little squeal, bursting into laughter. “Put me down!” she managed to get out, grasping his hands as he curled his fingers a little, holding her to him. Giggling, she swung her legs a little, mindful of where they were and how close some were. 

 

“William, didn’t realize you were one for PDA,” Phoebe spoke as Cecilia’s giggles died down, still dangling in his arms a bit. There wasn’t a response, but she tried to turn and parted her lips to speak when his arm went around under her arms, a hand resting over her mouth to quiet her. “Don’t be bitter,” he retorted, tone playful but Cecilia felt a sharpness under it. 

“I’m putting in the pizza order, don’t kill each other,” Henry broke the slight tension that had followed, Will’s hand dropping from Cee’s mouth as she was set down. Feeling more than a little embarrassed, she fixed the shirt and suddenly didn’t feel quite hungry at all. Parting her lips to say so, it died when she caught his expression, the flicker of annoyance before smoothing out. He flashed her a little smirk and shook his head slightly, and so she closed her mouth. 

 

The pizza delivery didn’t take too long, it was enough time for them to clean up around the shop a little. Sitting with a paper plate on one of the stools, Cecilia perked up as Michael sat next to her, the two sharing a smile. Crossing her ankles, she gazed at the blue rabbit standing now, Will taking a moment to tinker with it before he got food. Pushing the head on and down a bit, he nodded before going to get a slice, sitting on Cecilia’s other side. “Okay, watch this,” he said, nodding to Henry before he took a bite of the pizza. 

The rabbit came to life, eyes glowing a little. He moved robotically, strumming the cherry red guitar in his paws, turning stiffly from side to side. The sound was generated through speakers instead of what he was actually playing, a little song about a group of friends. 

Humming as she started nibbling on the crust, Cecilia rested her head on Will’s shoulder, watching the animatronic go through its motions. It was interesting to see it come to life the way it did, especially when she saw it earlier looking like nothing more than painted metal and a bundle of wires. 

“We should get going soon,” Will murmured to her, only enough so she could hear, “I always forget how fast time passes when I’m here,” he shifted a bit and she sat up a little, starting to stand but being pulled back down by the man next to her. “Don’t be in a rush,” he said pleasantly, chewing on his crust. Scoffing gently at him, she looked out at the animatronic again, pursing her lips as she watched him dance a bit, giggling at the random and slightly uncoordinated dancing. “Who programed the dancing?” she asked, and Will pointed what was left of his crust at Henry. 

“It dances like he did in high school,” he said, loud enough for the other to hear. The response was a pretty good flipping off, a scoff following it. 

“I was a fucking great dancer. You’re mad because you can only shuffle a little, bastard,” he shot back, making the two guards laugh a little. 

Will took Cecilia’s plate, squeezing the back of her neck as he stood before he went to toss the plates. “Alright, we’re out of here. Got to go get ready for the night shift,” he said, a cue for Cee to stand as well. Giving Michael a brief squeeze, she shook Henry’s hand again before giving an awkward wave to Phoebe, heading to the door of the shop. “Thanks for letting me in here and letting me hang out,” she thanked, turning midstep and smiling. 

“It was great having you here. Come back anytime, William doesn’t even need to be with you,” Henry responded, giving her a wave that she returned before she headed out, Will behind her. 

 

Feeling cheerful as they got back to the car, she bounced her leg in clear delight as he started the engine and started off back to his house, glancing at her with a slight smile. “See, aren’t you glad I woke you up?” he asked, reaching to ruffle her curls. She let out a squeal and grabbed his hand, resting it in the space between them and holding it quietly, trying not to blush. 

“I guess so, even though I don’t know if I’ll be able to stay awake for the whole shift,” Cecilia yawned to prove her point, shutting her eyes briefly before looking out at the sunset. 

“If you behave you can take a nap before we leave,” he offered, and she shot him a look, smiling slightly before looking back out the window. 

 

*

 

When they got back to his house, she let go of his hand and got out, following him into his home. Heading to his room, she gave a yawn before jumping into his bed, laying down face-first. “Just wake me up when it’s time,” she mumbled before almost immediately dozing, making him laugh a little in amusement. 

It was comforting to be with him, weirdly enough, and Cecilia trusted him completely. He was sweet, and the day had been rather fun despite the couple of hiccups here and there. 

Hopefully the night would remain just as well, if not quiet. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next night it gets FUN


	8. Night 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's a bit of violence but it's not, like, death

Cecilia was still feeling a little groggy as she sat with William in the office, giving a small yawn as he flipped through the cameras. “Maybe taking a nap before our shift wasn’t a good idea,” her companion teased gently, reaching and combing his hand through her curls. Humming low in response, she dreamily rested her head against his palm and gave a soft sigh, opening her eyes and blinking a few times at the light above them. 

“It’s from sitting around,” she said, moving to stand then and starting to stretch. Clasping her arms over her head, she stretched up before leaning from side to side, making a little noise as she stretched before she popped her back a bit, cracking her knuckles afterwards. “That feels a little better,” she leaned and lifted a leg up, catching it and pulling her foot to the back of her head. 

“Oh my god. Is that from skating?” Will folded his arms as he watched her, which made her feel a little tingle of delight in her stomach. “Yeah,” she nodded, puffing out her chest before letting her foot down, pulling the other up in the same pose. “This pose is a little popular. Makes us look a little like ballerinas, and it’s a bit of a pain to not hit myself with my skate,” she laughed a bit, stretching out a bit and humming at the pull she felt in her hamstring from it. Letting her foot go, she stood straight and tried to think of how else to exercise. She really needed to stay awake and limber. 

 

Leaning over to check the tablet, she braced her arm on the table close to him, enough she could slightly feel his warmth. Flipping through with her other hand, she pursed her lips before she felt a little nip on the exposed skin of her arm. Feeling a hard flush rise on her face, she glanced to see Will with a bit of her arm between his teeth, nipping at her. Pushing her hand through his hair with her other hand, she wrapped her arm around his shoulders instead so she couldn’t be bit, pressing his face into her chest. He gave a little hum, nestling a little and almost using her like a pillow. “Time for my nap then, you can deal with these alone right?” he spoke teasingly, looking up at her through his lashes. Cecilia laughed a bit, combing through his slight curls and holding a few locks as if she were tying it back. “No way, you’re not leaving me alone with these things,” she responded, squirming a little as he wrapped his arms around her waist, anchoring her there. 

“Hey, I didn’t say I was leaving,” he responded, pressing his face back in. She gave a little squirm, his breath tickling her through the fabric of her shirt. “Don’t play cute now. Behave,” he tugged on her a little, obviously feeling playful. Her hums turned into little giggles, a little squeal when he turned his head. 

“Okay, okay, I’m starting to get hot,” she said, looking away from him with her cheeks darkening more and more. Squirming a little in his arms, he gave a little growl and turned his head, biting the fabric covering her breast. A startled noise left her as he pulled her in, his face resting in the hollow of her collarbone showing thanks to her shirt being unbuttoned. His scratchy stubble tickled the slight bit of exposed skin on her chest, her breathing going funny as she shut her eyes. Her legs shook a bit before giving out, making her perch on his lap in what could be a straddle. Her drop had them face to face, a smug expression on the man’s face and a burning blush hurting the woman’s cheeks. 

“Behave now. This isn’t the time to play around,” he spoke in a soothing tone, teasing as one of his hands dipped to hold her lower back, the other resting on her thigh. “We could be in danger right now,” he continued lowly, tipping his head to the side. 

Was this, like, turning him on somehow? 

Cecilia squirmed a bit once more, curling her fingers into the back of his neck as she made a little noise, trying to get her feet under her again and pull herself away from his intoxicating warmth and scent. 

Cleaner, cloves, aftershave. It was familiar, achingly so and she knew she probably smelled like that now too from staying in his bed for so long. Pressing her lips together, she closed her eyes briefly and tried to get ahold of herself, feeling his thumb rub smooth strokes against the fabric over her skin, warmth pushing through and making it feel as if she barely wore anything at all. Her breath hitched again and she swallowed hard, bumping her nose against his lightly before she was leaning back, eyes opening wide. “O-Okay, okay okay,” she turned a little, and when his hand glided off her thigh she turned until her back was to his chest, his head resting on her shoulder as she squirmed a little once more. “Okay, Will, don’t go to sleep come on that’s not fair,” she was getting embarrassed, and then she gave a little yelp at the bite she earned on bare skin of her neck, his hand coming up to cover her mouth afterwards. She made another noise and felt like she was going to faint from how hard her heart was going, by how sleepy she felt and how she just wanted to - 

Wanted to…

 

It was a dangerous line of thought. 

 

“William,” she spoke when his hand moved, his pinkie brushing her lower lip. “Please, I won’t be able to behave if you keep holding me,” she said, trying to stay focused on something on the desk. The papers, the scattered blueprints, the pens,  _ anything  _ so that she didn’t focus on what her hips wanted to do or where she wanted to press her lips. Taking a deep breath through her nose, she shivered and tried to move, but he held fast, a teasing chuckle leaving him. “Naughty,” he mused, his lips tickling the back of her neck and she jolted, taking another deep breath before she reached and grasped his thigh, squeezing until he let up on her. Shakily she moved to sit in her seat, putting her hand up over her face like a barrier as she checked the tablet. It was weird how silent the animatronics were, even though they easily could have taken advantage. Setting the tablet back, she leaned back in her seat and refused to look at him, even when she heard him wheel himself closer. His arm went around the back of her chair, the move so casual it almost made her stomach hurt with butterflies. Looking away from him steadily, she instead just focused on the crayon scrawlings in front of her. Freddy looked a little dopey, his big bear smile on with the smallest top hat she’s ever seen. It looked more friendly than the actual animatronic that sat on the stage, though she supposed that the children didn’t see it that way. 

Oh, to be a child again. Nothing would be more frightening than the dark and they were always going to be protected. Absently running her hand over the table, she took a soft breath before she looked at the tablet, flipping back through. 

 

“Ah-?” The cove’s curtains were open, a little flicker of glowing movement in the bottom corner of the camera going off. Growing more confused, and more than a little frightened, Cecilia tapped on the west camera and gasped at the sight of the animatronic sprinting down the hall. It was clunky, but swift, the jaw gnashing violently and eyes rolling a little as he ran. Scrambling out of her seat, tossing the tablet to Will, she got to the door at the same time the fox arrived in the doorway. 

It screamed out, high and a little ragged before jaws snapped shut, Cecilia’s own scream following. Stepping back as it stepped forwards, the jaws snapped open again and came down on her shoulder, though the eye wasn’t focused on her. Shutting her eyes as pain bloomed, numbness following, she let out another cry that was filled with pain. The jaw twitched violently, almost tearing into her arm until hands came around her, clamping over the fox’s maw and prying them open. Reopening her eyes, her vision blurred and swam before she kicked out as her savior shoved the robot’s head, the combination sending the robot sprawling. The harsh grate of metal on metal sounded and the distinct noise of fabric tearing could be heard, but it was of no concern. Lurching forwards, Cecilia shut the door before she heard another little holler. 

As she turned, it was Will’s turn to cry out a loud “FUCK!” Purple paws were grasping his sides, hoisting him into the air as he tried to kick back against it. Ignoring the screaming protest of her arm, Cecilia ran forwards and put an arm around his shoulders, the other going around his waist as her foot firmly planted into the rabbit’s pelt. Blunt teeth came down on her forearm, but it was better than his head so she bit back another scream as she kicked hard, timing it with Will’s pulling away from the robot. His arms wrapped around her shoulders as they struggled briefly, another couple of kicks and he was freed. Turning smoothly, Cecilia held Will on her hip like a child as she roundhouse kicked Bonnie, her own yell of pain joining the cacophony of noise from her kicking. Stumbling back and falling over itself, she took the weakness to aim another hard shove out with her foot, Will hitting the door button. As it crashed down, there was a moment of eerie silence marred only by her hard breathing. Holding him close, her arm twitched and she let out a whimper, setting him down as he started squirming. 

Stumbling, she pulled away from his hands and checked the tablets again, toggling the lights before reopening her door, glad to see the empty and dark hallway greeting her. Panting a little, she whimpered as her arm started to throb, swallowing hard and blinking away the tears that wanted to fall. No. She didn’t need to cry. 

“I just need to slap some bandaids on,” she said as she turned to face her companion, taking in his pale expression and the clear recovery from fright in his demeanor. As a bit of sweat rolled down his cheek, he blinked before catching himself, speaking then. “You have to disinfect them first,” he sounded almost confused, furrowing his brow at her before he stepped forwards, reaching out and starting to unbutton her shirt. She couldn’t find it in herself to be embarrassed, sinking into the seat instead. Letting him take care of her, she breathed slowly as the last of the buttons came undone, shutting her eyes in preparation of the pain of him taking her shirt off. 

Carefully, he peeled the fabric off her wounds, a little hitch of his breath greeting her. Pulling it off all the way, she opened her eyes and took the stained fabric, setting it over the chair before she looked at him. His eyes were trained on her shoulder, looking over her wound before he caught himself again, moving to stand. “I’m going to get the first aid kit,” he said, and then he went to actually do so after a moment. Turning her head, she winced softly at the throb of pain before gasping at the sight of her arm. 

 

Her shoulder was covered in blood, the skin darker with likely what was going to be heavy bruising. Several teeth marks were embedded in her skin, slightly oozing still with any movement. The removal of her shirt had smeared some of it around, a bit of a trail starting down her bicep. Dipping her gaze to her forearm, she felt lucky there wasn’t any broken skin there. Instead there was a light bruising already starting to form, she knew it would probably get darker though considering it hurt to even slightly move her arm at the moment. 

“Don’t look at it, starlight,” Fingers under her jaw gently guided her head to turn away, a kiss being pressed to her forehead before he pulled up the other seat. Listening to the sound of him rummaging with the kit, there was also the familiar static bit of the cameras being checked on the tablet. Then he was lightly touching her skin, drawing her to sit to the side so he could see the shoulder. 

“This might hurt a little,” he warned, his hand guiding hers to his upper arm. “You can squeeze there if you want, but I need both hands,” he said softly, his voice close to her ear. She merely nodded, taking a deep breath as she relaxed her injured arm, holding his arm gently. 

The pad was cool, rubbing over opened skin and blood. A sting started almost immediately, her breath hitching before she worked to breathe evenly - in through the nose, out through the mouth. Staying as relaxed as she could, her fingers curled into his shirt and held on to focus on him instead of the pain that was starting to get more and more distracting. Taking a shaky inhale, she squeezed her eyes shut a bit tighter before wincing. “I know, I know, I’m almost done,” he murmured soothingly, drawing back briefly to clean the blood off, going back with a new pad. Pulling her in a bit closer, he worked on her back as she rested her head on him, soon nestling into his neck and breathing in his scent. When he pressed a bit harder than intended on a particularly nasty wound, her eyes opened wide and she gasped hard before biting into his skin, keeping herself as quiet as she could. His breathing went funny and he gave a low grunt before finishing, wiping up any access blood that he missed. Letting up, she drew back and felt a little embarrassed. “I’m sorry for biting you, that one just really hurt,” she apologized, glancing at where she bit. There was a little mark, red and oh god she just gave him a hickey. She wanted to throw herself backwards, but he didn’t let go of her and instead pulled her back a bit closer. 

“It’s fine, let me bandage that,” he said, face still carefully blank. Pressing gauze pads on the front and back of her shoulder, wrapping it and carefully taping it down. “Perfect. How’s that feel?” he asked, and she lifted her arm to test it. “Sore, but feels better. Thank you,” she said, giving him a soft smile before turning to look back at the desk. Pulling the tablet over, she glanced at the power before she checked the cameras, giving a little pout when she saw Freddy lurking in the bathrooms. Hoping they would just stay quiet still, she frowned at the kitchen feed and all the banging that was coming from there. 

“I wonder what Chica’s doing in there,” she mused, checking on Bonnie on the stage before setting the tablet back, looking up at Will. He looked back at her, looking rather amused at this point. Reaching over, he took the shirt that was on the back of her chair and folded it, causing her to abruptly realize that she was only sitting there in her bra. Casually covering her chest a little, she peeked at him as he started to unbutton his shirt, easily shedding it in favor of the undershirt, putting it around her shoulders instead. Pushing her arms through the sleeves, she buttoned it up before hugging herself as she was overwhelmed with his scent. Lowering her eyelids, she resisted the urge to bury her face into the collar and instead looked over at him, distracted then by the scars lining up his arms and his neck. Crescent moon shapes on the side of his neck, his shoulder, elbow and wrist while the rest were mere lines a multitude of directions, some deeper than the others. Reaching, she ran her finger over a bit of the scarring before moving closer, tracing the one on his shoulder. He didn’t even look at her, instead looking at the tablet, the tell tale camera noise alerting that. 

Grazing her hand down his bicep, she touched his forearm gently before pushing her hand into his, fitting it neatly in the space he left open. His fingers curled and he gave her hand a gentle squeeze, the only acknowledgement. 

 

They both sat like that until the end of the shift, quiet but comfortable. Recovering. Following him, they never let go as they clocked out. Her lips parted briefly when they got out to the parking lot, her eyes falling on Noah and her words changing. She gave a wave, calling out “good morning!” to him with a smile that felt only slightly forced before following Will to his car. 

That’s right, her van was at his place. Buckling herself in, she glanced at him before looking out the window once more. 

“Will you stay again? I want to keep an eye on your shoulder,” when he spoke, she looked over at him before out the front, eyelids lowering as the sun started rising behind them. “Yes,” she spoke, though it made her throat flutter a little. Glancing at his hands on the wheel, she pursed her lips before she looked away, curling her fingers into her pants as she felt a blush start to burn for no good reason. Breathing through her nose, the classical music was making her feel a little sleepy. She wanted to stay awake though, and tried to, though she blinked and then they were at his house, his hand gently on her shoulder. 

“Someone’s sleepy,” he teased softly, and she smiled back albeit dreamily. She felt a little disoriented, but she would be okay. Getting out, she followed him before pausing by the kitchen. “Can I have a painkiller?” she asked, and he turned and nodded before heading right to a cabinet. 

“Of course. Here,” he set two pills in her hand before filling a glass of water for her. Taking it, she drained the water glass before setting it in the sink at his guidance, going up the stairs and to his room with him. 

The familiarity already was making her chest feel heavy, another burn rising on her cheeks. Stripping off the shirt and pants, she climbed under the covers. After a few moments, he joined her and rested on his side. They were facing each other considering Cecilia couldn’t really roll over, and she genuinely felt her heart flutter. It was quiet for a few moments, the only noise their soft breaths before the sound of his hand sliding on the fabric to touch hers. 

 

“You pulled me into your world,” Cecilia said suddenly, sitting up a little on her arms. Taking his hand, she looked down at their fingers, the difference in size and color. But oddly, it didn’t look bad at all. “I’m in your world. You’ve pulled me into your family, your work, your home,” she shivered a little, inching closer to him as he rolled onto his back, staying patiently quiet as he gazed at her. “I love being in your universe, William. I don’t know why you did it, but I’m so happy. I’m happy I met you,” she pressed her lips together briefly before her heavy lids lowered and she sleepily dipped her head. 

His lips were warm. It genuinely made her heart squeeze briefly and she started to pull back. Not getting far, his hand pushed into her curls and he pulled her back down, her heart fluttering even more as his stubble pressed into her soft skin, his lips softer than she thought a man’s could be, and his scent surrounding her. 

She was in his universe. 

When she managed to escape after several more kisses and attempts, she was kept close to his body though he was careful of her shoulder. 

“Rest, starlight. You’ve had a long night,” he spoke, but there was a huge amount of tenderness in his tone. Laying her head on his chest, her lips were tingling and she really just longed to kiss for a little bit longer, but she would have to refrain. “Sweet dreams,” he murmured as his fingers pushed through her curls, helping her doze off almost instantly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ive been wanting to write a smooch for ages now


	9. Day 5*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im coming strong out of the gate. there's a lot of shit in this chapter and i hope you guys like cecilia because its heavily in her world for the next 2 chapters

It felt as if a new body was cropping up every two weeks. Or, at least was being discovered in many stages of decomposition. None of them were in rigor mortis, most seemed to have reached high lividity in their lower parts of the body. It was clear that once they were in the suits, they weren’t moving out of them, the lattice of metal pressing white lines into the reddish-purple hues their legs took on. The decomposition was still varied, some looking completely sunken while one reportedly was heavily decayed, almost heartbreakingly so. The staff of Fazbear’s Pizza only saw one, and it was genuinely a startle. 

Everyone had to pitch in that morning, even the night guards much to their exhausted dismay, the sheer amount of people in the pizzeria coupled with the heavy rain lead to a lot of background cleaning activity to try and ebb the threat of a flood. They were moving some of the costumes out when Noah had grabbed one of the Freddy costumes, William on the other side of it to help him. It was weightier than expected, Cecilia having to hurry over to help. When she lifted the legs of the animatronic, the head somehow jostled enough to completely disconnect, then a louder thump that was too much for the just the head to have connected with the ground sounded. 

She immediately shut her eyes, Noah’s startled scream confirming the worst. He dropped his side, William letting out a startled grunt as the weight pitched suddenly. Blindly, the woman moved and caught the other side before it fell completely, reopening her eyes but pointedly looking away from the body.

Management took over almost immediately, guiding the couple holding the animatronic to finish their job, getting Noah to the bathroom to calm down, calling the police and covering the body. Setting the animatronic down on the elevated storage area, Cecilia braced her hands on the wall and tried to take several deep breaths. It took William no time at all to pull her in, not needing to say anything. 

 

“I don’t get it,” she mumbled out in a slight panic, curling her fingers into his shirt before taking another breath. “I just don’t get it,” she lifted her head a little, clenching and unclenching her jaw as she shook a little. “I don’t - why would someone do that. What the fuck, Will,” she pressed her head into his chest, digging her nails in. “I’m scared. What if something like this happens to Lizzy? Or Mikey?” she pulled away again, looking up at him with wide eyes. His face was briefly impassive before he brought her right back in, holding the back of her head. 

“Nothing will happen to them. They’ll be okay,” he spoke soft, and she wondered if he was scared too. Holding him tight for a few more moments, she soon felt okay enough to pull away and just hold onto his hand, needing the bit of comfort from his touch. 

 

Walking back out with him, they were directed to the police, William instinctively squeezing her hand briefly before shooting her a little smile when she looked up in confusion. “I’m fine,” he reassured her unasked question, trailing with her to the officers they were directed to. 

It was the typical “what did you see, what happened” sort of questioning, the two completely cooperative. Cecilia’s voice shook a little as she spoke, feeling a little embarrassed as she admitted she immediately had looked away and didn’t see what the body looked like. She felt more than a little wimpy, though she supposed that was an odd thing to feel wimpy over. Glancing at the sheet as her companion spoke about how he saw it, she saw just the little hand. The soft skin had the reddish-purple that the other corpses had, she could tell despite the skin being on the darker side. It was completely limp, and she had the sinking suspicion that if she was close enough she would feel it cold. It took her a few moments to realize why the hand was so small though, doll-like almost. 

Oh, fucking god, that was a toddler. 

Turning away again, she felt lightheaded, the backs of her eyes burning harshly and she felt like she was about to cry. Moving closer to her man, she let go of his hand to wrap her arms around him, burying her face into his side and trying to calm herself back down. Go back into that numb feeling, the startlement because she didn’t want to start crying. But she really couldn’t stay in the room, letting him go and shakily heading outside through the back. One officer followed her out, standing with her as she leaned over, breathing through her nose. 

“I’m sorry, I’m just...I don’t know, seeing something like that again is really hard,” she managed out, pulling her curls away from her neck as she breathed heavily, feeling nauseous. 

“I know. I see a lot in my job and it doesn’t feel like it gets easier,” his voice was higher than Will’s, less of the smooth velvet and more reminding her of a boyish man just recently graduated. A little of Michael. “The detectives will handle it, we’ll find out who’s been doing this. Have you seen other things like this, other bodies in suits?” he asked, after a moment his hand made a pass over her back and she felt comforted. Straightening, she tied her hair up and shook a little. “Yeah, there’s been a lot of them here. I only saw one, one that was in Bonnie,” she nodded, rubbing her forehead with the back of her hand. “I don’t get why this is happening,” she said softly, skin flushed as she leaned back over, trembling a little. 

“You can vomit if you need to,” he said, though albeit awkwardly as he pushed some of her curls back, holding the loose strands. “The first time I saw a dead body, I know I puked. A few of us did, it’s really startling,” she could tell he was going to start rambling, but then her stomach twisted and she panickedly held onto the front of his shirt, her morning coffee and bile the only things coming up. 

Coughing hard, she felt a little childish as she rubbed the tears out of her eyes, breathing funny before she dry heaved a couple times. The officer patiently held her hair back, patting her back as she trembled. Letting go of his shirt after a moment, she took a breath and spat out a little, straightening as she felt a bit better. “Thank you, I’m sorry about that,” she said weakly, hating how her mouth tasted now. 

“It’s no problem,” he rummaged a moment before giving her a tissue from a little pack in his pocket. Taking it gratefully, she blew her nose before rubbing, careful of her septum piercing. When she reopened her eyes, she almost jumped out of her skin when she saw her usual companion had reached them, resting a hand on her back. 

“Are you okay?” he spoke, his voice settling over her as a familiar comfort. Giving a nod, she felt a little embarrassed then and tried to inch and hide the wetness on the road there. “It’s fine. Let’s get you water, okay?” he waved it off, glancing to the officer and giving him a slightly curt nod before he walked with her back into the pizzeria. 

Mercifully, there were too many people around for her to accidentally see the little body again, plus Will seemed to be purposely hiding her gaze from it as well. Shamelessly, he guided her into the staff bathroom, procuring a cup he had somehow lifted on their way there. “Hey, wait, I can handle myself now,” she said, though she was feeling lightheaded from the sudden change in her own emotions. Everything was so distracted, she almost felt like fainting when his arm went around her again, supporting her by smushing her between him and the wall, her shoulder pressing into the hard surface not uncomfortably. 

“You don’t look it,” he said, he sounded like his tone was a little odd but she had ignored it in favor of taking the water. Happy to rinse out of her mouth, she spat into the sink before drinking it down, shuddering at the feeling. “Feel better?” he asked, and she nodded. He rested a little mint in her hand and she took it, glad to taste something other than coffee and bile. “Do you want another one?” he asked when she finished chewing it, handing her another at her nod. Well, putting it in her mouth for her. Kissing his fingertip in thanks, it was nice to not taste anything in her mouth other than the cool taste of the mint. 

“I feel better now,” she said truthfully, resting her head against the tile of the wall. “I don’t know why I did that, I-” she was cut off by his mouth, and she felt like a teenager. Every time they kissed it felt like the first one, her body buzzing and her thoughts fizzing out when her eyes shut and she kissed him back. He laid several kisses on her mouth before he kissed her cheek, laying one more kiss that left her lightheaded before he was satisfied enough to pull back. Remembering that they were in the bathroom of the pizzeria, she let out a sudden giggle, hiding her face as he laughed a little with her, letting up so she wasn’t caught between him and the wall. 

Feeling better enough, it was a brief moment she had almost forgotten what was outside of the door. 

 

It wouldn’t sink in until one night later that week when Cecilia couldn’t sleep that she realized it was a little strange he was so amorous despite the fact of two things: she had just thrown up, and there was a dead body of a toddler in the same building. 

That wasn’t a real question she could ask, even if he wasn’t sleeping when she thought it, curled around her and holding onto her in a way that she couldn’t really squirm away at all. His breath tickled at her neck, her body so used to his slightly warming hands holding her in odd places. One was straight up under her shirt and essentially lightly groping her, his other hand holding her stomach and pressing her into him. 

Absently, she rubbed his arm a little, looking out at the darkened room that was starting to really feel like home at this point. Shutting her eyes, she figured she could try again to sleep, burrowing back against the man behind her. 

When she awoke again, her phone was ringing. Groaning, she squirmed a little and reached out, the man holding her resting his head on her back and not letting go, grumbling and yawning. Grasping her phone, she didn’t even check the ID when she put it to her ear. 

“Hi, Cecilia,” she greeted with a little yawn. 

“Hello, um, I’m Officer Mills and we were speaking on Monday, when the body was discovered. We have a couple more questions, would you be okay coming down to the station and answering them?” she woke up at the question, sitting up a little on her arms. “I’m okay with that - is it about the body?” she asked, feeling Will’s hand move from under her shirt as she felt him sitting up a little. Obviously this caught his attention too, or that’s what she figured until she felt the tickle of his lips on the back of her neck, his weight making her go right back down onto her stomach. “Yeah, somewhat, and about the pizzeria. You’re not going to be arrested if that’s what you’re worried about,” he was quick to soothe, making her relax a little despite the man who was resting on her back, seeming to doze right back off. “Okay. That will work for me, I think. I’ll come by in a little bit, I don’t know what time it is but I just woke up,” she explained, looking around before she saw that it was 1:24 PM. “Ah,” she cut in again, awkward as she felt like she was rambling. “I’ll try to get there before 2,” she said, and he made an affirmative noise. “Just tell the lady at the front who you are, alright? I’ll be here,” he said, and then they both bid farewells before she hung up. 

 

“What was that about?” maybe he didn’t doze back off, his weight lifting enough that she could roll over, looking up at him as she absently tapped her phone around in the air to set it back on the side table without looking. “The police want me to answer a couple questions. I...I won’t say anything about finding the body in Bonnie and not saying anything,” she promised, seeing the brief flicker of something go over his face. He hummed and lowered himself, kissing at her exposed collarbone. “Okay. Hopefully it won’t take you too long,” he said, wrapping his arms around her and nestling in. “I’m going to Henry’s, so you can just go right there when you’re done,” he added, starting to bite at her skin a little. He was so touchy-feely, she really would love to stay in bed and let him do what he wanted, but she knew it was a bad idea. 

“I will, okay, don’t bite me there!” she giggled when he was biting at the slight swell of her breast that could be reached from the collar, pushing her hands through his hair and pushing him back. “Come on, I’ve got to get up and get going,” she complained when he was leaning in again, but she didn’t push away when his lips pressed against hers. 

 

She was a little late when she got to the police station, knowing damn well she shouldn’t have let him kiss her so many times. Trying to tame her hair that his fingers had pushed up, she settled to tie it back and hoped that her lips being slightly swollen would just look normal, like she was pouting. Getting out, she pulled at the scarf she hastily threw on, shutting the door behind her and locking her van, checking really quick in the mirror to make sure none of the bruises were showing. 

Jogging inside, she embarrassedly went to the reception desk, leaning over slightly. “Hi, sorry, I’m Cecilia Pulvis. Officer Miller called me, I’m a little late,” she said with a little smile, rubbing the back of her neck. The college-age woman behind the counter nodded and stood, smiling a little before turning and gesturing at the door. “You can come in over in that door,” she said, and the other nodded and headed that way. Opening the door, she stepped and shut it behind her before looking down the hallway, raising her brows briefly before she started walking to one of the men waving at her. Approaching him, she abruptly felt a cold chill shoot through her and a gut feeling told her this wasn’t going to be pleasant. Taking a breath through her nose, she chalked it to stupid anxiety and gave a smile when she got to the man. 

“Hi, I’m Cecilia,” she greeted, and he nodded. “Hello, I’m Detective Adams. Let’s go somewhere a bit more private,” he gestured for her to follow and she did. 

 

Interrogation rooms were a lot more minimal than she was expecting. The table and chairs were shoved right up against the wall, the space looking almost too small. Walking to one of the seats, she sat down and looked up at the one way mirror, hating how suddenly she looked so frightened. Tearing her gaze away immediately, she looked to the man in front of her instead, who merely leaned against the wall and looked at her. 

Her hands starting shaking and she immediately clasped them together, starting to self-soothe by rubbing her thumb against the other. Closing her eyes, she wordlessly started to focus on her breathing, realizing that letting her anxiety get the best of her right now wasn’t a good idea. She didn’t really know how she was supposed to act, though. 

There was a few minutes of silence before another woman came in, handing the man a file before stepping back. Cecilia opened her eyes and the women regarded each other, the new one looking quite a bit older. But she looked striking as well, almost motherly and very briefly she considered clinging to her for comfort. Instead she forced herself to sit back and she looked away at the detective instead. He was grizzled, a bit of a potbelly now that she was more eye-level with his stomach. His hair was greying and he genuinely looked tired, reading whatever the file was before he grunted, setting it down in front of Cecilia and sitting across from her afterwards. 

 

“I don’t want to leave you wondering what we brought you in for, so I’m going to tell you frankly. We got a tip from somebody that in your past you were involved in a heap of troubles. Theft, assault and battery, murder even, and yet your file don’t seem to have any record of that. Now, even though they weren’t towards children, you also stated you have a son, and yet…”

A sharp inhale came from her and she immediately shut her eyes, putting her head in her hands. There wasn’t any real amount of self-soothing that would help with this, the crushing feeling of utter despair and fear. 

“You’re not in here for any of the accounts. We are not arresting you, we just need to know if you’ve done these. If you know anything, intimately about these children who’ve died,” the chair across from her creaked and she couldn’t really catch her breath. She wanted to cry, she wanted to scream, she wanted to drop dead. 

It was countless minutes that Cecilia couldn’t find her voice, couldn’t answer, she didn’t want to remember anything. “I could, I could, I could never...never hurt a child,” she managed, starting to shake harder. “In my twenties I was involved with a bad man, I never hurt any children,” she shut her eyes tight before reopening them, staring down at the slate colored table. “He kept me drugged, I drank so much, I don’t remember enough but I remember the feelings,” she felt like she wasn’t explaining herself well enough, she didn’t know how to talk about this. She never had to talk about this past before, her unbecoming, and she genuinely didn’t want to. “My - my ex-husband, he’s bad,” she felt tightly wound, like a spring. “I don’t know anything, we haven’t found anything on the night shift, the night shift is always quiet and there aren’t ever any people inside,” she rambled a little, not wanting to look at them. Not wanting to even be in this room, talking about the past that was too painful to think too long about. She hadn’t even thought about that in a little while, focused too much on the future. 

 

“Your son,” he started again and she flinched, afraid of what he would say, “was a beautiful child.” 

Hands dropped from curls and her ultraviolet eyes opened, staring at him with an almost heartbroken expression. He was holding the file open on the table, the school picture of her little five year old smiling brightly at her. Shakily, her hand reached out and she touched his cheek, the paper smooth under her fingers. 

“What happened to him?” he asked quietly, and she shook her head. “It wasn’t this. It was three years ago, before I came here, it was with my ex-husband. He did it, he did it to him,” she started to shake again, the urge to cry rising but nothing would come. “My little Beck…” she pushed the file back to him, looking up with wide eyes. “I didn’t do anything here,” she took a shaking breath. “It wasn’t me. I had to report like that,” she looked away. “We had to move away for the illusion. He was sick and then we moved,” she wrapped her arms around herself and had the strongest urge to hug William’s children when she got to Henry’s. Right, yes, she had a family now. 

They had started to call her mom, obviously more cuter version as to not confuse her with their actual mother, but she was still something like mom. She had forgotten how much she loved when she was called mom. 

“But he wasn’t sick, he never was sick, sure he had narcolepsy but he wasn’t bad at all. He was so happy, he was such a happy boy and he loved soccer so much,” she hadn’t let herself think about her son in so long, and even now it was so painful she was feeling such an overwhelming sadness that merely crying wouldn’t do anything to help it. 

“Where is he now?” Adams asked softly, but even she could hear how much he didn’t want to. She wished so badly she could change her answer too, but there was no need to lie about this. There was no connection, and things were so rough as was. “He’s got the prettiest spot under the tree, I left so many flowers and dolls,” she raked her hands through her hair. “It hurts to talk about him, so please…” 

“I understand completely. I am so sorry for your loss,” he spoke, and she could hear it was genuine. “I am sorry as well for bringing it back up. But just there was a small connection, according to the tipper, between your supposed past, Beck, and the children’s death now. They thought it was you,” he closed the file, “but it’s very easily apparent to see you don’t have a motive for doing this.” 

“I would never. Even I don’t know why whoever’s doing this is doing this, and it tears me up. I feel so bad that I work there and can’t protect the children,” Cecilia tugged on her hair a bit, taking a deep breath. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help, I don’t remember enough about what I did when I was drugged to help you at all. I just know I didn’t hurt children,” she promised, though she didn’t intend to lie as she did. It was too hard to explain the murder, it was too confusing and even now she didn’t completely understand everything from it, even though it was her finger that pulled the shotgun, her ears that still had ringing from time to time, and her emotions that had shot up so wildly to protect. 

She also just didn’t want that protected’s father to get in trouble, even if he was dead now. 

 

Standing shakily, she gave a soft gaze to the detective. “If you need me to answer more I can, but I really can’t do anything else today,” she said, shaking a little as she stood. 

“I completely understand. I think we’ve gotten everything now anyway that we needed from you,” he rose as well, pausing before extending his hand out. She took it, shaking as she squeezed his hand. A single shake before they broke apart and she headed out, the woman no longer there though she didn’t realize that she had left in the first place.  Taking a breath to steady herself, she tried to smile at him but it was so weak she felt embarrassed for trying that in the first place. Stepping out, she turned and started walking back the way she came. 

As she passed the little kitchen, she inhaled and froze, everything in her body clenching so violently she inadvertently gasped. Automatically, she turned and looked at the man in there, the man so formal and so intimately familiar that she felt as if she were going to run. His hair was still slicked back, not a bit of his suit not looking as pristine as always. His amber eyes were practically glittering, a little smirk on his face when he realized she saw him. Merely lifting a hand, he gave a wave and she turned away, trying her best not to start running. She did walk fast, heels clicking as she started rather violently pinching and pulling at her own arm. Just walk, just walk and remember where you’re going. 

 

It was like the past was catching up and she couldn’t stand it. But now she realized that he was there again and she couldn’t do this shit anymore. Getting into her van, she didn’t let herself think as she immediately just started driving, wanting to get back into William’s world instead of being in her own. It was almost reckless how fast she was going, but she felt like she couldn’t get away before she was pulled back into another unbecoming. 

A complete relief hit her when she saw the trees and driveway, the familiarity and she turned, rolling the van down the drive. Parking, she sat back in her car and took a few deep breaths. The recceeding sense of utter anxiety and terror left her tired, and she felt off kilter. She almost wished she could go skate again instead, she went frequently with Elizabeth but it wasn’t the same as pushing herself until she forgot that there was a world outside the biting cold of the ice and the wind generated from her own body. Everything was herself and nothing could be taken away in there. 

But she also wanted to be with her family, which was what led her to finally getting out. Walking up to the shop, she pulled the door open and slipped in, immediately getting Cooper jamming himself into her knees. An unexpected laugh left her and she reached to pet him, the act of doing that immensely soothing. 

“Momma!” perking up at her little daughter’s call, she immediately opened her arms and lifted the blonde, holding her with a fond smile. “Hi, little peach,” she greeted soft, kissing her cheek before walking to where her father stood in front of what looked like the start of a clown girl. 

“Daddy said she’s for me! I wanted to name her Circus Baby!” Elizabeth announced in delight, pointing then at the plans for it. “She’s gonna be really cute! She can sing and make balloons and ice cream,” the familiar chatter from the little girl made everything in her own head stop buzzing around, quieting as she listened about the newer animatronic. 

“Well, if this baby is based after you, then she’ll be the cutest girl in the world,” Cecilia smiled when the explanation was finished, tapping her nose before letting her down, looking at the nearly finished ballerina-like animatronic. Elizabeth gave a little giggle before she went off, joining the twins of Henry’s. Charlie and Sammy, one a girl and the other a boy. They did look remarkably similar - both carrot red hair and similar looks of mischief, though Charlie had a small scar by her mouth from a bike accident. 

 

A calloused hand brushed her arm before tugging a little on the scarf, catching her attention. She automatically felt a little smile rise when she saw William was smiling at her, obviously pleased she was there. “I was starting to worry a little,” he murmured, putting his arm around her shoulder and pulling her close to his side, looking between the plans and the animatronic. “It’s going to look pretty interesting when it’s done, I think,” he said with a nod, looking down when she nestled into him a bit more. Shutting her eyes, she just wanted to hold onto him, honestly just wanted to go back to bed and be able to nestle up with him and forget the day even happened in the first place. “Are you okay?” his voice lowered and she looked up at him, unsure of what expression she was even making. 

“I’ll be okay. They just were asking about something someone told them, but they don’t think there’s a connection,” she told him without delving too far in, not willing to talk about something so private and intimate around others. And while she already didn’t feel so good. “I have to run to my apartment tonight before I go to work, I want to grab some more of my clothes and my other prosthetics just in case,” she said, though she really wondered if that would work for him. He studied her a moment before nodding, giving a small shrug before dipping down to kiss her forehead. “Just as long as you’ll be on time to work and in my bed,” he was starting to tease her and she smiled, setting her head on him briefly before figuring she needed to get away from him before she melted. 

 

Walking to where she saw Henry was, she perched herself on the stool next to him and rose a brow. “What are you doing?” she asked, watching him mix some chemicals around. “I’m trying to get the primer ready before William’s done with his new product. It doesn’t smell too good, so don’t linger because I don’t have another mask,” his eyes crinkled to show he was smiling at her, the medical-like mask covering his mouth. 

“Oh, okay, I see you don’t want me near…” she teased a little, standing and leaning on him briefly in lieu of a hug, walking to look up at Ballora a moment before stepping away, going to Will once more and leaning over, kissing his cheek. 

“I’ll see you tonight, okay?” she smiled at him, and he smiled back and casually held a bit of metal up, planting a kiss on her lips that definitely didn’t feel innocent at all. “I’ll see you,” he whispered when he pulled away, giving her a little peck before putting the metal down, grinning at the blush on her cheeks. 

Straightening, she hummed soft at him before heading out, feeling lighter than when she had walked in. Walking back to her van, she looked down at her phone and wasn’t surprised to see a simple text saying the sender would ‘come to her apartment, so don’t be surprised and call the cops like you did last time.’

 

Her stomach clenched and her resolve hardened, grimly getting into her van and starting to drive. 


	10. Night 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> get ready for it to get bad. there's abuse in this, physical and emotional so just heads up yall  
> but she gets her revenge and it feels good

Cecilia didn’t immediately go into her apartment. She stayed outside when she got there, leaning  against the hood of her van. She was too scared, as childish and angry as it made her feel. The idea of him being in her apartment was painful enough, but there was a part of her that was thankful he didn’t find William’s house. Pushing her curls back, her mind was running a mile a minute with thoughts that were ranging from pure fear to the tantalizing ideas she couldn’t put names to but made her feel powerful. Above all, she really just didn’t want to go back to her ex. She didn’t want him, she wanted to stay with her new family. She was happy, and here he fucking was again. 

Shaking her head, her fingers combed through her hair before she pulled a few chunks of locks over her shoulders, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. The idea of facing him again was terrifying, especially in a private place. She could still remember running away, how it felt standing up to him and just leaving. Leaving him was the best idea she had ever had when she finally could do it for herself. When he didn’t have anything to threaten her with, when she had enough of him and didn’t want to deal with it anymore. It had been the most powerful point in her memory, but it still stung and hurt to think about. Everything about her past hurt to think about, even the happy memories. She just wanted what she had now, she just wanted to fall into the universe she was in and pretend as if her past, her world even, had never existed at all. 

 

This would have to end. She would have to do something tonight so that she could get her world and her past to stay in the past. Steeling herself, she took a deep breath and started up the stairs, absently thinking about how much it would hurt if she was thrown down them. It wasn’t like she had never been shoved down the stairs before, the wood hard under her skin and jabbing, landing on them was always the worst part. The memory had her going up them a bit faster, as if she could already feel his hands pushing against her shoulder. Scanning the hallway, she walked to her door and paused. 

_ How thick were the walls again? Was her neighbor in? What was the time? Was anyone on vacation? Would they call the cops if they got loud?  _

Shaking her head to shake the questions out of her mind, she took her doorknob and wasn’t surprised it was already unlocked. Opening the door, she stepped inside and shut it behind her, barely surprised when she saw him sitting in one of the chairs she had in the mismatched set of her living room, sipping from one of her mugs. 

“You took longer than I expected,” he spoke, his voice making her skin crawl and she knew if she was going to be touched she would shut down. “Where were you?” it was such a level question that she knew he wasn’t asking out of mere curiosity. 

“My friend’s shop,” she answered anyway, not feeling like she wanted to bring out the snark at the moment. Lowering herself onto her couch as to not show that she was genuinely afraid, she forced herself not to shake as she gazed at him levelly. “Why are you here?” she asked instead, not missing the slight way his fingers tensed on the mug, a sign of irritation. She stifled the urge to apologize, sitting up straighter instead and trying her best not to glare even though she wanted to. 

“Business. Plus this place is all over the news, I didn’t realize you took up a job on the night shift,” he said, taking another sip of whatever he put in her mug before setting it on the side table. “Heard about the stuff. Knew about our past. I more wanted to give you a fright than anything, a reminder,” he smiled, but it wasn’t pleasant and it sent an unwilling chill through her. “Since you’ve been so hard to find. Cecilia now, right?” he mused, leaning forwards. 

She forced herself to stay still as his hand reached out, almost unbearably hot as his fingers closed around her hand, pulling her to stand and get closer. She didn’t want to, but she also still didn’t feel like fighting. Standing by him, she pressed her lips together and tried to keep calm, taking a breath through his nose and almost choking from his scent. It was too familiar and she wanted to cry. 

“Our past, where you made me into your little doll,” she responded, keeping her voice steady as he yanked her down, perching herself on his knee as she tried to not shake. “I didn’t want to stay like that, especially after Beck,” she added, though now fear was shooting through her and making her ready to run away again. 

“Beck, hm?” he mused, leaning forwards and setting his chin on her shoulder. He blinked then and drew back, raising his brows. “You smell different. Who have you been with?” he asked, and she realized very quickly she was in a dangerous spot. Taking a deep breath to steel herself, she braced herself for pain when she spoke, “Someone else. He treats me nicely,” she shut her eyes then, unable to refrain from doing so. 

A few moments ticked past, but then she felt it. His fingers around her throat, a light amount of pressure as he turned her head slightly with his index finger. Opening her eyes, she gazed outwards instead, trying very hard not to cry. 

“Did I not treat you nicely?” he was getting angry. 

“No. You killed our son,” she responded, his other arm wrapping around her and holding her elbow, pulling her close to him. His grip tightened on her neck and she gasped, her arm rendered immobile from the way he held her. Shaking her head from side to side, she squirmed as his grip went even tighter, cutting off quite a bit of air. In a panic, she kicked at his leg before kicking the chair, pushing herself to her feet. Not getting far due to his grip, she was swept off her feet and pressed into the chair instead, his knee resting against her hips and pinning her. The angle her head was forced into combined with his fingers around her throat completely cut her air off, her eyes opening wide briefly before she let out a high pitched whine, feeling herself starting to get a headache. Her vision grew spotty, but then the pressure was gone and she arched her back, taking deep breath before falling into coughing, grasping the arm of the chair and rolling onto her side. Holding her throat, she let out a soft gasp and panted, trying to reduce the pressure in her head. Oh, she had forgotten about this and she didn’t miss it at all. 

 

“Since when did you talk back like that?” he asked, his hand smoothing through her curls before his fingers curled, jerking her head back and forcing her to look up at him. “You killed him. If you didn’t keep running, he wouldn’t have died,” he responded, and she couldn’t stop the hot rush of anger that made her grit her teeth and glare at him. 

“You’re the one who fucking strangled him, you hurt him and you killed him and now you keep trying to kill me,” she tried hard to keep her voice lowered, not wanting to yell out at him. 

“I don’t want to kill you. You want me to hurt you, but I’d never really kill you. Unless that’s what you want,” he spoke, reasonable in some way that she never would be able to understand. She shook her head before she was pulled by the hair off of the cushions, stumbling as she was let go. Massaging at her scalp briefly, she hissed softly before turning to him as he lifted the mug again. “Come on, we’re going home,” he said, closing his fingers around her elbow and pulling. He was taking the mug, taking her, turning the lights off and at least locking the door behind him. 

He kept pulling, making her stumble from time to time. She was careful on the stairs, holding onto the railing at this point. He gave her a hard yank and she briefly fantasized that he pulled her shoulder right out of the socket, falling hard to her knees for a moment before she got back up, undaunted now that her legs were prosthetics. Looking up at the dusky sky, she took a breath as her eyes fell on a star before she felt more steeled, following him with less of a stumble to his car. Sitting in the seat next to him, she pulled on her seatbelt and blinked when he put the mug in a cup holder. She could see what was in it - amber brown and iced. He was really drinking bourbon in her mugs? Well, she reasoned that she didn’t have any glasses like that and the mug was big enough to simulate something like that. Glancing to him briefly, she looked out the window then at her own van, at the apartment and the other cars until they were moving. Leaning back in the seat, she looked ahead and could already feel like she was planning something she didn’t really know about. Just that she had to wait until the forest came up and the guard rails were there. 

“I don’t think you’re going to leave me this time,” he murmured, cutting the silence. “I will kill you if you leave me again. I missed you so much it drove me mad,” he looked at her, taking a hand off to run his hand tenderly through her curls, almost as if he hadn’t just choked her. “You don’t smell like yourself, but I know you will again soon enough,” he said, setting his hand on her thigh and holding, fingers curling into her leggings, though it felt as if he were touching her skin. 

Cecilia felt like she was going to vomit. 

“I hope you had a nice time here, pretending as if you aren’t mine and will always be mine,” he chuckled then, the noise hurting her chest. He curled tighter, enough to make her squeak before relaxing, massaging. 

Oddly, the only thought that rose briefly was that she wondered if William would do this to her. 

She wanted to go back to her universe. 

Remaining silent, she glanced at the driver’s side, watching the rolling forests come in as they started to get to the highway. Mentally, she started to count, her thought half formed and weak but she knew she had to do it. She had to try, the alternative too awful to think about. Quietly, she wished for help before she looked at the dashboard clock. 10:04. 

 

At 10:05, her hands snapped out and she took the bottom of the wheel, yanking up hard enough he lost his grip, the car jerking and screeching and crashing, metal on metal. Pulling her hands back, she grabbed the top handle as the car pitched forwards, her hand gripping onto the back of his seat as the ground rushed up to meet them. 

Her eyes shut tightly, pain lighting up as metal smashed, the windows broke, the airbags popped and cut her face, everything was so loud and then suddenly everything was so still. Panting, she lowered her one arm and groaned, opening her eyes. The windows were gone, the windshield was gone, leaves brushing over the dashboard and a flower from the tree touching her nose. Leaning back, she took a breath and winced at the pain in her neck, touching the seat belt before taking it off, prying it back and touching the tender wound in her neck. There was no blood from it, so she exhaled in relief before brushing the shards of glass off her lap and arms, glancing at the mug in the cupholder that had spilled quite a bit, but still had some in it. 

Lifting the mug, she held it away from her lips and trickled a bit into her mouth, setting it back down before looking up at the driver. 

He was impaled by a branch, and she thought it was almost like romantic retribution. Giving a little laugh out of sheer shock, she leaned over and looked at him, realizing that he wasn’t breathing. Leaning back, she stared at him a moment before laughing again, soft and quick because her throat hurt, but she was free. Regarding the window, she merely climbed out of it, landing hard onto her hands and knees. Shuddering, she coughed a little before standing, holding onto the side of the car to help herself up. 

“Bye, Vance,” she spoke into the car before she turned away, feeling like she was in a daze. “I’m never going to see him again,” she mused softly, treading through the path the car created, her feet sinking a little into the soft dirt. Figuring that the button down she had gotten dressed in and her leggings were enough for work, she started to simply walk to the pizzeria. She had an idea of where she was and was following the way they came, humming softly as she looked up at the stars again. They were much brighter, more of them scattered along the sky and she felt like she was in a dream.

 

It took a long time to get to the pizzeria, but she walked through the front and went to the staff room. She clocked in, not even looking at the time as she treaded through the hallway to the office, almost feeling a childish burst of excitement when she realized she would see someone she loved. 

Walking through the door, she stood there a moment and felt a smile rising when she saw William leaned over the tablet, his gaze flicking up and falling on her. He straightened immediately, eyes going wide before he was taking her shoulders and pulling her in closer. “Cecilia, you…” his voice felt so nice to hear she leaned against him a little, holding his hands as she swayed. “Sit down, starlight, let me take care of you,” he gently sat her down, pulling out the first aid kit again before he looked almost dismayed. “What happened?” he asked, his calloused fingers running through her curls, brushing them from her forehead before he started dabbing at a cut on her forehead. 

“I didn’t want to go home,” she responded, taking his hand and holding it on her cheek tenderly. “I wanted to stay in your world,” she felt dazed, figuring dimly she was probably in shock. “I wanted you, the whole time, I want to stay with you,” he lightly stroked under her eye, pressing a butterfly bandage over the cut. He was quiet as he rubbed the towel over her skin, she didn’t question where he got them as he cleaned her up. She had a lot of cuts on her arm, a few on her face but the biggest seemed to be the heavy rubbed-burn in her neck from the seat belt. He wrapped her neck gently, touch feather light. “Can you still breathe?” he asked, and she hummed affirmatively. Letting him wrap bandages on her fingers and lay multiple over her hands and wrists, she held still as he wrapped her arm before he checked the cameras quickly, flipping through a couple before he returned his gaze to her. 

“There aren’t cameras or microphones in here, starlight. What happened? Really, what happened?” he took her hands, and she held onto his hands tightly, starting to feel it set in. 

“I killed him. He was going to kill me, he wanted to take me home, he choked me, William I didn’t want to leave,” she took a sharp breath, shutting her eyes before reopening them. “I never expected for him to find me again, and now he won’t find me again. I crashed the car, but there’s alcohol so it looks more like he did it himself,” she added, looking away from him before turning to look out at the window, wondering if she was actually seeing something in the dark there. Checking the camera there, she frowned and sat back, feeling distracted now. She just wanted things to be normal now, no worries about herself, no worries about the car wreck, nothing. 

 

“Devious,” he murmured, and it sounded like he approved. Shooting him a smile, she leaned and drew his hands to her lips, kissing his knuckles gently. “I don’t like that you got hurt in the process though,” he murmured then, kissing her head before they drew apart, Cecilia standing and gasping as she dropped back into the seat, pained. Ow, no, she wasn’t going to do that. 

“That hurt. It happens,” she turned and shook her head, not wanting him to worry about her. Rubbing at her tendered stomach, she wheeled over to the door and checked the lights, rolling back over and sitting back, trying to relax. “Do you think they’ll be quiet?” she asked, and he gave a little shrug, though she could see the look of concern on his face. Sitting quietly, she felt tender and wondered if shock was wearing off. 

 

It definitely was by the time it was 5AM, the next hour seeming almost impossible. Shutting her eyes, she felt like one big bruise and was trying to keep her breaths even. Staying seated next to her side of the office, she looked out at the dark hallway and gave a slight pout, wishing it wasn’t so dark in the pizzeria that she couldn’t see down the halls without wasting power. 

“Are you still doing okay?” Will asked, as he was doing at random times. “Uh huh,” she responded as she always did, her gaze flicking to where he sat and they shared a smile, quick and familiar. Turning her eyes back to the hallway, she exhaled soft and rested her head on the wall, staring off into space at this point. 

She almost missed the flicker of movement, her fingers touching the light switch before immediately shutting the door as she saw Bonnie’s familiar form. It was still startling to see the rabbit walking around, especially after the body’s discovery. She would have thought that the body would have rusted the metal, but it seemed as if it weren’t the case. Leaning back in her seat, she blinked at the little thump on the window, an eye pinned onto her. It felt almost human-like, maybe even childish with curiosity. 

A sudden chill shot through her and she stiffened, finding herself unable to look away from the rabbit. An overwhelming sense of childlike sadness hit her, confusion and fear, but then a soft bit of realization. A feeling of not being alone. 

Comfort? 

Tearing her gaze away, she wrapped her arms around herself, unsure of what her emotions were doing. When she looked back at the window, the rabbit was gone, so she rose the door again. Hearing the alarm go off for 6AM, she didn’t realize she had stared so long at Bonnie until she was rolling her chair back and Will gently took her hand. Walking back to the front, she gave a surprised hum at the fact that she was actually on time when she had punched in, checking out before wandering to where she saw Noah. 

“Hey,” she leaned over a little and he looked up from the ground, looking almost startled. “Are you okay? You’ve been acting weird lately,” she said, tipping her head to the side. 

“I’m fine, coming in here just - I need a minute usually, that’s all. Are you okay?” he asked, the little twang in his voice making her smile. Touching a bandage on her cheek absently, she nodded. “Yeah, I’m okay. Have a good day at work,” she waved, heading off because she didn’t want to talk about it with someone else now. 

Meeting Will at the front, they walked out together, getting into his car. She hummed a little from the stiffness she briefly felt in her back, but for some reason she felt as if some of her pain had lifted after she stared so long at Bonnie. Rubbing her arm absently, she eyed the seat belt warily before putting it on, pulling the longer part behind her so that it didn’t press upon her neck. Watching his hands as he steered, Cecilia paused before reaching out, touching his hand before grasping it gently, pulling it from the wheel and setting it on her thigh. He barely reacted, giving a slight smile and hum. Sitting back, she rested her hands against her chest, looking down at the sight. It felt different from earlier, and she realized she quite liked it. It was starting to feel like her past was being pressed away, things changing now. A do-over so to speak, and she realized very quickly that she wanted to have him change everything. She didn’t want her memories to be with Vance anymore. Exhaling quietly, she forced herself to push those thoughts away, shutting her eyes and relaxing. 

The ride was peaceful, she didn’t feel stuffy nor tense and she was so grateful for it. Opening her eyes when they stopped, she looked up at the red light before at the darkening clouds, wondering about the rain. As she did, she felt William’s fingers curl a little and he gave her tight a little squish. Jumping at the sensation, she looked down before at him, giving a little giggle. “Oh, you like that starlight?” he teased, giving another squeeze and making her giggle once more. 

“It tickles a little,” she admitted, making him give a small huff of laughter before he turned back to the road, driving when the light turned green. Lowering her hands, she set one of hers on top of his, stroking the cool skin under her fingertips. It felt like his hands went from lukewarm to cool often, but it was better than burning hot. 

She liked his chill. 

 

When they pulled up, she got out and hummed a little, careful not to tip her head from side to side like she usually did. Instead she rested a hand on the back of her neck and slightly inclined her head, testing the pain. “Let’s get you painkillers, come on,” Will beckoned her and she followed, grateful to be back inside of his home. Getting a cup of water, she took the painkillers gratefully and drank the whole cup, setting it in the sink before she moved to nestle against her lover. “Let’s get you upstairs before you snuggle, that’ll be easier,” he spoke, kissing her head before gently drawing away, holding her shoulders. She nodded, turning and heading upstairs with him. Glad to shed her clothes, she didn’t pull any other ones on, instead resting herself under the covers and taking a few breaths, inhaling the familiar and comforting scent. 

It felt like barely any time passed until there was a dip next to her as he climbed in as well, gently drawing the covers back from her body. 

“Why aren’t you wearing anything?” he laughed a little as she covered her chest, glancing away from him at her own bruised body. “Put on something,” he started to get back out when she reached, taking his arm and keeping him there. 

“No,” she pulled him back in, feeling a little tremble go through her. Her mouth felt dry then and she was too embarrassed to say anything more, so she simply pulled his hand and pressed it to the dip of her waist, gazing up at him. 

“You’re bruised up,” he murmured, moving to sit facing her. “I don’t want to hurt you more,” he said, though his hand was rubbing her skin and making her shake from the sensation of his calloused hand on her soft skin. 

“I want it. I don’t care if it hurts me, I want - I want you to make me forget about everything but you. Please, Will,” she felt almost embarrassed to speak it, but he merely exhaled softly as he leaned down and made her forget about all of the pain that happened in the day. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no i wont write it out explicitly i dont want to add onto my heap of shame


	11. Day 6

William was surprisingly tender with Cecilia. Whenever her breath hitched, he would let up to make sure it was hitching from pleasure instead of pain from him hitting a bruise. He had seemed infatuated with her lips, often ceasing his touch on her just to focus completely on pushing his tongue into her mouth. His taste overwhelmed her, the clove taste stinging at first before she accepted it, just happy it didn’t taste alcoholic. 

He wasn’t attractive by conventional means - his body was skinny, stray patches of slight hair over his chest, and the scars created a lattice effect over his body. There were more than a few divots and curves to his body that made his breath hitch whenever she dipped her fingers against them, a small shudder going through him frequently. She wondered about the last time he had been touched intimately, especially when he spent a tenderly long amount of time kissing at her skin. But she realized that she liked it, liked a lot of his touch. It wasn’t like he was unskilled anyway, plus she felt completely charged under his fingers. 

The callouses made her squirm often, the roughness such a heavy contrast and odd feeling on her skin. His stubble wasn’t much better, rubbing into her chin and rubbing spots on her chest and stomach, making her laugh at time and complain wordlessly at others. His fingers were light over her scars, the one that went from one pelvic bone to the other drawing the most of his attention. 

“I’m infertile,” she whispered to him, watching his lips part in surprise as his brows rose. “Ah,” he murmured before leaning down to kiss her again, distracting her from the twinge that went through her when she said that. 

It was languid and soft, his hands firmly resting on her hips as he had clearly tried hard to hold back. She appreciated him so much for that, whispering sweet words into his ear as she held him close, feeling her eyelashes flutter with every movement. His lips barely left hers, she felt completely overwhelmed by him and loved every moment of it. 

 

She didn’t remember falling asleep afterwards, forcing herself up to go to the bathroom before she had nestled into him. When she woke up again she was tucked up against his chest, a curl being spun slightly around one of his fingers. “Good morning, starlight,” he murmured when she opened her eyes, making her smile a little. “Good morning, mon nounours,” she responded softly, skimming her hand up his chest before pressing a gentle kiss to his mouth, brief and leaving them both smiling. “I feel like a stereotypical couple,” she spoke after a moment, making him laugh a little as he gave her a small squeeze, mindful of the bruises. “Hush,” he said fondly, kissing her forehead. Giggling, she felt warmer than she had felt in a long time, finding that she didn’t want to leave. “I think I might be lovin’ you,” she whispered, eyes widening at the creeping blush and shyness that rose when she spoke. Letting out a giggle, she hid her face in the pillow, making him chuckle as he leaned over her, nestling close as he lightly kissed her ear. “I love you too, darling.” 

Her face burned as she peeked out at him, unable to resist the stupid smile that rose up on her face and the sheer bubbling affection inside of her. She didn’t ever want this feeling to end, never, she didn’t want to leave him. 

 

The feeling grew and bloomed like a flower, assisted with every exchange of affection. Often she was left blushing afterwards, feeling like a schoolgirl with her first boyfriend all over again. The affection stayed, the sheer warmth that she felt was starting to twinge every movement, every word of hers even if it was subliminal. She wanted to stay with him, in his world with their family. It was a few weeks later in the car with the children in the backseat that Cecilia made a comment that she normally wouldn’t have been so offhand about if she wasn’t still feeling such an embarrassingly bright warmth. “There’s the courthouse, we could get married in there real quick,” it was a bit of a joke, but next thing they all knew the car was parked in the lot and William was grinning. “No time like the present, let’s go.” 

Elizabeth let out a little laugh, Michael raising his brows as he got out alongside his sister. Cecilia took Elizabeth’s hand, walking with her up the steps as she resisted the urge to start laughing. “We aren’t even dressed up,” she complained lightly, and Will gave a laugh. “Who cares? It’s walk in, I bet nobody else dressed up with the full outfits,” he lightly ran his fingers through her curls, making her smile. 

“So does that mean you’ll really be our mom now?” Elizabeth asked, casting her attention. Giving a smile, she nodded slightly. “I guess more like a step-mom, but yeah. I won’t replace your actual mom,” she reassured, crouching down and lifting her up. Even though the girl was nine and getting too heavy for Will to comfortably carry, Cecilia found her easy to hold and took up holding her sometimes. “But maybe now when the nice ladies at the rink compliment your pretty loops you can tell them your mom taught you them,” she teased softly, making the other laugh a little. “I already do!” she wrapped her arms around Cecilia’s neck as they walked, the now-eighteen year old son drawing her attention. 

He hadn’t made any more cryptic comments about his father being dangerous, but he also started to warm up towards her. When he caught her looking at him, he flashed a half-smile. “I’m cool with this if that’s why you’re looking at me, ma,” he said, the term casual from his lips but made her happy all the same. “I’m pretty sure I gotta be the witness anyway,” he added, reaching forwards and patting his father’s shoulder to catch his attention. “Don’t I have to witness?”

“I believe so, since you’re over eighteen,” came the response, a slight chuckle. 

 

It was surprisingly easy to fill everything out and actually be able to be officially married the same day. Giving a laugh when she clasped Will’s hand as they walked to the little room where they officiated the marriages, she felt a weird zing of elation that made her veins feel as if they were full of champagne. Squeezing his hand, she genuinely felt like she couldn’t stop smiling. Elizabeth held Michael’s hand, looking utterly delighted. 

Nothing was flashy, nothing was embarrassing, but it felt a lot better than her last marriage and that’s what made her feel like she could jump or run around from sheer elation. The exchange was simple and she embraced him tightly, nestling into his neck and laughing as he held her just as tight, squeezing her before peppering kisses onto her face, light pecks that made her feel more and more like a schoolgirl. 

She was positively beaming as they walked out, holding Elizabeth’s hand once more and resisting the urge to skip. “I’ll make the rings,” William said, making her nod and practically vibrate from delight. “Oh my stars and garters,” she giggled, unable to resist bouncing in place while William unlocked the car. Michael looked delighted - everyone did. It was a happy day. 

 

But the next it wasn’t so happy. Cecilia woke up to William being on the phone already, brows furrowed in concern. “Henry,” he was saying, “Henry, slow down, I can’t hear you,” they met eyes and she sat up as well, reaching for the phone and taking it from him, putting it between them as she leaned in. 

She could hear Henry sobbing, the sound primal and heartbreaking that she immediately knew what happened. “Where are you?” she asked, cutting through his sob. “Henry, where are you? We’ll come to you,” she tried again. 

“Sec- the other pizza - the alley, oh my god,” his words were jumbled, but she got the gist. The other location, the alleyway, something was wrong there. “We’re going to come and help you, okay?” she gave the phone back to William, letting him take back over as she got dressed, taking over for him while he got dressed. 

It was beginning to get dusky when they got into the car, Cecilia keeping the phone to her ear as she spoke soothing nothings to the man on the other end of the phone. It was easy to maneuver between the cars quickly, taking nearly no time yet so much until they were rolling up. There were already a few flashing lights, some tape up. 

Fuck, she knew it. 

“We’re here, I’m hanging up now, okay?” a sob was her response before they disconnected, the two hurrying from the vehicle. Going under the tape without another thought, Cecilia slid between the officers before reaching out when she saw the figure, wrapping her arms around him. “Henry,” she said before his arms went around her and she was brought in, pressed hard into his chest. 

His hands fumbled and pushed into healing bruises accidentally, a soft hiss leaving her as she wiggled an adjustion before wrapping her arms around his neck, petting through his long locks as he sobbed.  She heard her husband coming up behind them, turning her head slightly to look at him briefly before she went back to softly hushing the sobbing man, rubbing his back. Turning her head, she caught sight of a crumbled figure and leaned her head onto his shoulder, seeing clearly. 

 

The child lay against the wall of the alley, looking bruised and bloodied. And wet - must have been from the rainstorm that happened in the morning, the air humid around them as a reminder that another shower could happen. Narrowing her eyes a little in a squint, she could see crops of shocking orange and her eyes widened when she saw the slight curve of a familiar scar on her lip. 

Charlie laid with her eyes shut, something long and black wrapped almost protectively around her. Swallowing hard, Cecilia closed her eyes and went quiet, burrowing her face into his neck, realizing now why Henry’s sobbing was so familiar. William’s arms went around the both of them, holding both as his cheek rested on her curls. They all stood in the awkward group hug for what felt like an endless amount of time, practically holding the grieving man together as the body was covered, drawn away and the soft pittering of rain started anew. 

The sky was crying for Charlie. Tipping her head back, Cecilia gazed up at the sky as the drops hit her cheeks, rolling down her skin as if she were crying. “Henry,” she spoke softly, his reddened eyes opening to gaze at her, a few tears dripping out from time to time. “Henry, let’s go home, okay? We’ll take care of you,” she said gently, William making a soft affirmative noise behind her. Figuring they’d just stay over with him or something easy like that, she knew that they couldn’t just leave him alone at this time. Drawing away and a bit more into Will’s chest unintentionally, she took one of Henry’s hands and gently tugged him along. “It’s going to be okay. We’re right here for you,” continuing to speak soothing words to him, the three made their way to where their cars were parked. “Will, I’m going to drive Henry, okay?” leaning up, she pressed a kiss to her husband’s cheek before helping Henry get into his old yellow Jeep, walking around to the other side and struggling a moment to get in. Being 5’3 had absolutely no perks when it came to big vehicles, though she finally made it in after a bit of squirming and a cry for assistance that lead her husband to helping her get in. Embarrassed, she caught the keys from Henry’s toss and put them in the ignition. Reaching, she took his hand and rested their hands on the clutch, driving off with William following. 

 

The ride was quiet but comfortable, punctuated with Henry’s occasional sniffle or a little shaky sob. It was rough seeing a man cry, especially one who did nothing but smile most of the time. Glancing at him from time to time, Cecilia’s heart practically broke for the man, squeezing his hand gently. “It’s hard, I know,” she spoke soothingly, gliding through the streets easily. “It’s painful, losing your child. You’ve got to keep going for them, because you’re superman,” she gave him a little smile, a watery weak one in response. “It’s okay to cry, Henry,” she reassured then, realizing she might have accidentally been insensitive. Oh christ, how did she get through her son’s death? 

...Well, what happened with her certainly wouldn’t help Henry at all, so she banished those thoughts. 

 

The couple stayed with Henry and Sammy, Cecilia helping out a lot around the house as much as she possibly could. She held the two when they cried, she cleaned up so nothing would be a huge mess, and she kept Charlie’s door firmly shut. William cooked considering his wife was horrid at it, and he was able to slightly comfort Henry in a more familiar way, letting him hold on gently. 

It was good that Phoebe didn’t bring the kids, and she didn’t come around for a bit until the third day the house was full. Even then, she tried to act as if nothing were wrong, instead doing her best to distract Henry with new ideas and thoughts. 

Cecilia went right the hell away from all the technical talk, instead lifting up Lizzy and walking outside with her instead. The air was starting to get a bit of a nip to it, more comfortable instead of being disgustingly hot. “I can’t believe Charlie got hurt like that,” her daughter spoke, her voice quiet. “I don’t...I don’t really understand,” she admitted then, and Cecilia paused. Moving, she was glad she had the thought to go get her van, moving and sitting in the hollowed out back with the littler one. Wrapping them up in blankets, she sat back and gazed at her quietly. “What do you mean?” she asked then, running her fingers through the girl’s soft locks. 

“Charlie...she wasn’t really an adult, was she? She was - she wasn’t supposed to leave, right? I thought people died when they were old and their bodies stopped working,” Lizzy sounded frightened and confused, nearly on the verge of tears, “I miss her, mommy, I miss Charlie and I don’t understand…” she gave a low whimper and Cecilia pulled her to her chest, resting her daughter’s wet face against her shirt. 

“Oh, I know baby. I know it’s hard to understand. Some people are just really bad, and they hurt others. They cause them to die, which is - it’s what happened to Charlie,” there was no use to lying to the nine year old, it wasn’t like she wouldn’t understand what murder was. “It’s no good, and whoever killed Charlie will get what’s coming to them. I promise, baby. What we have to do now is remember her for how sweet she was, for how she was when she was alive. Okay baby? Think you can do that? It’s okay to be sad and miss her, but don’t get lost in it,” she hugged the girl close, comforting her by rubbing her hair and her back. Lizzy started weeping softly, though she had nodded to indicate she understood. 

It really was never easy when a child died. It wasn’t fair, nothing was fair and for a moment she felt a burning hate for whoever killed Charlie, for whoever killed those other children. 

 

She wouldn’t let them get her children though, holding her daughter protectively as she cried. They stayed like that, Lizzy slowly calming down and even dozing off, and that’s how William found his wife and daughter many minutes later. He moved slowly, squeezing into the little bit of space he made by opening the back door and shutting it behind him. Sitting next to his wife, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and let her nestle into his side. 

“I don’t get what’s going on in this town anymore, baby,” Cecilia admitted softly, speaking lowly as to avoid waking the sleeping girl. “I don’t know how to protect our children,” she bit her lower lip, closing her eyes. Such an admission was so frightening, she hated feeling as if she couldn’t protect them no matter how hard she tried. It was the same as being useless, the same feeble feeling from before when she tried to protect her little Beck. Holding onto Elizabeth just a bit tighter, she started to pet her curls gently. “She asked me about Charlie, I never know how to explain death to a child,” she closed her eyes, burrowing her face into her daughter’s hair as she nestled into her husband’s side. 

He never once stopped rubbing her shoulder, his gaze firmly on her as she spoke. Leaning, he pressed a kiss to her head and just held her, encompassing both of the women he loved in his arms. “You shouldn’t have to worry about protecting them. That’s my job as their father. You just worry about keeping them out of trouble, starshine. You’re protecting them as best as you can, and I’ve got to do more for you to relax it seems,” he kissed her temple, his voice soothing even though she still felt heavy concern. “You’ve taught them both so much, darling. Be proud of that. Let me hold all the worry, okay?” guiding her to lift her chin, her eyes reopened and she gazed at him softly, swallowing hard before nodding. “Alright, Will…” she bit her lower lip before they briefly kissed, drawing away when Cecilia felt Elizabeth stirring. 

They stayed in the back of her van for a little while until Cecilia carried Elizabeth inside, taking her up and resting her in the guest bed where she and Michael would stay. Heading back down to get on the couch, she blinked when she saw Henry and Phoebe there, holding an embrace. 

Feeling like she was seeing something private, she crept back to find her husband, finding his son instead. “Mikey,” Cecilia called softly, drawing his attention away from the cabinets and searching for a snack to her. “Hey, ma. Is Lizzy all right?” he asked, turning to her as he held a box of goldfish. “Yeah, she’s fine. Are  _ you  _ all right? I know she was your friend as well,” she said, obvious concern on her face and in her voice. He fell quiet before mustering up a weak smile. “I’m trying not to think about it, honestly. I’m sad, but I don’t want to focus on it when everyone else is feeling sad too,” he responded, taking steps closer to the shorter woman. She reached up almost automatically and embraced him, giving a gentle squeeze before drawing back. 

“You’re allowed to feel sad about this, though. Don’t worry about everyone else - if you need to cry, or be held, just do it. Go to someone, it’ll be fine,” she spoke soothingly, focusing on helping him distinguish his emotions. It was a moment before he damn near fell onto her, wrapping his arms around her tightly and hugging on. “Ma,” he said weakly and she realized that  _ she  _ was the someone he wanted to go to. Wrapping him up tight, she pressed him close before guiding him to sit down at the table, pulling another chair up and sitting right next to him. He leaned over, nestling into her and hugging on tight, his hair tickling her cheek a bit. 

“I’m right here,” she rested her hand on the back of his head, gently stroking his hair as she held him. “It’s okay. You can cry, or babble, I don’t mind it,” she said gently, and she felt him tremble. 

“I just miss her, ma. I don’t know what else to say. I miss her so much it hurts and I carry it everywhere,” he was both pure and childish about his grief, unable to figure out how to say it. It was something Cecilia knew all too well. “I want her to come back, I keep expecting her to come back, come through the door with a new adventure and then it’ll just be okay,” his voice grew thick with tears before a weak little sob left him. She held him tighter, rubbing the back of his head. “She died alone, mom I couldn’t even be with her she was alone,” he broke into loud sobs, genuine weeps of grief and it was so raw and pure that it made her heart hurt. 

Holding him close as he slumped against her, he almost fell off the seat as he wept harshly. Supporting his weight, she held tight because she knew if she let go he might just fall apart. His fingers curled rough into her shirt, shaking violently under her hands as he cried. 

Whispering soft, soothing words to him, she reached and pulled him in, scooping and holding him like he was a child, starting to rock him gently. He curled up against her, burying his face in her neck and started whimpering, more sobs falling from his lips. 

Letting him get it all out, his sobs reduced to quiet weeps before he was whimpering, breathing shakily. “Ma…” he whispered, and she rested her head on his. “You’re okay, baby. I’ve got you. It’s okay to cry, and it’s okay to miss her. Memories right now are bittersweet, I know exactly how it feels,” she soothed him gently, rubbing his back before stroking through his hair, gentle as she did so. “Just remember her as your happy friend though. She wasn’t alone, and she’ll always be with you in your memories and your heart. That sounds cheesy as fuck, I know,” he gave a weak laugh at that, sniffling as he relaxed against her. Moving a hand to support under his knees, letting him stay curled against her as she rubbed his shoulder. “The memories will keep her alive, okay love? I know you love her, your friend, and she left an impression on you. You won’t forget her, and she won’t be alone. Okay?” she turned her head to look at him, only really able to see his ear though. 

“Okay,” he whispered, sniffling weakly as he nestled a bit deeper into her. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders a bit more securely, nestling like he were a child again. It was rather sweet, she wasn’t bothered by this at all. Sitting back as he rested more into her, she closed her eyes and exhaled softly, relaxing to help him calm down too. Taking deep breaths, she noticed him starting to breathe with her, smiling slightly as she closed her eyes. 

Within moments, he was limp against her, obviously exhausted from his grief. Glancing around, she carefully adjusted her hold before standing, teetering briefly before managing to carry him normally. Perking up when she saw Henry again, she caught his eye and adjusted her hold on Michael, smiling slightly before she headed back up to the guest bedroom, gently setting him down on the bed next to the sleeping Elizabeth, pulling the covers up over his body as she pulled off his shoes. Setting them by the side of the bed, she smoothed the blanket over his shoulder before gently wiping his cheeks, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead before she headed out silently. Getting back downstairs, she nearly bumped into Phoebe, stepping to the side afterwards. “Sorry,” she hummed, moving to head back to where she saw Henry last. “Wait,” the other woman’s voice made her pause, turning to look at her again. “Is Michael okay?” she asked, her voice going quiet. 

“He’s okay. He misses his friend, that’s all,” Cecilia responded, turning away once more and heading to the living room. Lowering herself in one of the armchairs, she sat back and rubbed her forehead, shutting her eyes. 

 

Not realizing when she fell asleep, when she woke up again she was laying on the couch, a quilt resting over her. Her head was over someone’s lap, a hand petting through her hair absently. Glancing up, she blinked at William before rolling onto her back, humming soft. “What time is it?” she asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes and taking his hand afterwards, kissing his hand gently. “Nearly time for us to get ready to go to work,” he responded gently, smoothing some of her curls away from her face. “Are you feeling okay?” he asked then, squeezing her hand in his. “Yes, I’m fine,” she nodded, moving to sit up. “It’ll be nice to get out and about,” she smiled at him, leaning on his shoulder briefly before moving to stand. He kept a hold on her hand, pulling her back down over his lap. Gasping, she rested her arm around his shoulders and turned a little, sitting properly before giving a small giggle. “What are you doing?” she asked softly, stroking his cheek gently. 

“Just holding you for a moment. We haven’t been alone in a while,” he murmured, leaning in and planting a slow kiss to her mouth. Glad to be able to kiss him back, she let her thoughts flitter away as she rested her hand on the back of his head, relishing the feeling of not having any worries for the moment. He kissed her cheek before dipping to kiss at her jaw, letting go of her hand to wrap his arms around her and bringing her in a bit closer. “I’ve got to get ready soon,” she said softly into his ear as he kept kissing her skin, dipping to press his lips to her neck. “I know, I know,” he breathed, his breath on her skin making her shiver. Blunt teeth dug in and her eyes fluttered shut, letting him give a bruise before he drifted back up and gave her one more kiss that left her breathless. Gazing at him, practically starry-eyed, she giggled softly before giving him a kiss on her own, a chuckle leaving him as he dipped her back a bit, making her laugh softly. “You’re too much,” she beamed, leaning in to give another kiss when she heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. Will’s gaze flicked up before he dipped his head to give her one more kiss, this time definitely the last one, sitting her up before pulling away. “Alright, alright, I’ll let you go,” he lightly pinched her sides, making her swat his hands before she stood. 

Glancing, she saw Phoebe in the doorway and resisted the urge to blush, instead avoiding the eye contact and heading up the stairs. 

 

Refusing to feel bad about this, she got dressed, careful not to make too much noise before she went back downstairs, meeting Will at the doorway. “Come on,” he opened the door for her, holding it open as she walked out. Glancing back at the house as she stood in the driveway, she gave a small frown before turning back, heading to get into the car. “You alright?” he asked once they got in and situated, starting the engine and turning around in the driveway, starting to drive out. “Hm? Yeah, I’m perfectly fine. Are you alright?” she asked, looking over at him. He merely shrugged, glancing at her before ahead. 

  
“I’m fine.”    
How foreboding. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah this ended up long too but hey. we're nearing the end, how exciting.


	12. Intermission/Night 6

It felt as if the nights had more animatronics, different and candy colored. They were new and bright, lovely, but also quite frightening. They were sticking around for the week following, even as Henry started to recover and the Aftons could return to their home. 

Cecilia was worried about that, worried about Henry, worried about a lot of things. Maybe it was too much to ignore, at least for Elizabeth. 

The persistence to go ice skating was too much for either parent to say no, though Cecilia wouldn’t have in the first place. Sitting in the passenger seat, she smiled slightly as she listened to Elizabeth bounce almost excitedly in the backseat nearly the whole ride to the arena. 

Holding her hand as they walked inside, the two girls glanced at William. 

“What?” he rose his brows before Elizabeth pointed where the skates were stored. “Lizzy,” he started, and then stopped and merely sighed. “Oh, fine. I’ll do it later though,” he begrudgingly walked over as Elizabeth cheered, returning with the skates in his hand. Smiling at the easy way their daughter manipulated him, Cecilia walked with her to get to their locker room again. Sitting down, she watched Elizabeth concentrate on putting her skates on, reaching over and pulling her strawberry blonde locks back, tying them neatly before fluffing the ponytail lightly. Her daughter giggled in delight, peeking at her over her shoulder as she smiled. “Thank you,” she sweetly spoke, making her mother’s heart flutter with love. 

“No problem, little peach,” she ran the back of her hand lightly over her little cheek before pulling on her own skates, standing and clasping hands. Walking out with familiar clicking noises, they met up with the man who wasn’t wearing his skates still, instead sitting next to the ice with the skates next to him. 

 

“Daddy!” Elizabeth sounded almost scandalized, putting her other hand on her hip and giving a good pout. “What? I figured I would let you two skate before I try it out, let me get to the idea of skating,” he said, waving his hand and shaking his head. Giving a little annoyed hum, Elizabeth looked up at Cecilia. “Mama, should we force him to get up or let him sit like a bumpy log?” she asked, and she wasn’t sure which one was the right answer. 

Giving a little hum, she looked between him and her for a moment before shrugging. “We can let him sit there and I’ll teach you something fun,” she offered, smiling a little. “I’ll teach you a Salchow, okay?” that was enough appeasement, the little one already starting onto the ice with clear excitement. As she passed, William’s cold hand came up and touched at her exposed thigh, catching her attention. Leaning over almost automatically, the two smiled before she pressed a kiss to his cheek, giggling as she flitted away onto the ice. Skimming easily, she watched as Elizabeth skated around a bit, clearly a lot more confident than she had been starting out. It gave Cecilia an indescribable amount of pride to watch, smile staying firmly on her lips. After a few moments, it was clear the girl was going to get antsy. “Mama,” she started, skating to the older woman and stopping neatly in front of her. “I want to learn the Sal...Salcow!” the little fumble over the word was cute, the woman resting her hands on her hips. 

“Salchow. And okay, you have to stay over here while I do it though, all right?” she lowered her hands and skated a good enough distance away that she wouldn’t collide with anything on impact. Taking a breath, she hummed a bit as she started to skate, getting herself up to speed and relaxed. After about a half lap from where she was, she took a breath and glanced at her feet, then to Elizabeth. She was watching, utterly enraptured as she made sure to stay far enough away like what was wanted. Nodding to herself, she turned once more before she took off from her right inside edge, her arms swaying with the motion before clasping over each other across her chest. She made three rotations before landing on the outer edge of her right foot, letting her arms stretch to the sides as she bowed slightly, her left leg extended out almost to keep balance before she straightened, stopping herself afterwards. An excited squeal came from Elizabeth as she skated closer, their hands clasping together as Cecilia laughed. 

“That was so cool! Mama!” she almost bounced, though she thought better when she remembered they were on the ice. “How do you do it?” she asked, causing the woman to glance at her own feet a moment before looking to Elizabeth, raising her brows. 

 

“All right, here’s how it works,” she pointed at her own skates, showing as she pointed. “I take off from this edge and land on this edge. You have to get the right speed as well, though you’ll tell when it’s enough. I won’t sugarcoat it, you might fall a few times,” she warned, gazing at her. Elizabeth looked on seriously and nodded, then turned around to look at William before calling to him. “Daddy! I might fall! Don’t be scared!” she called to him before she and Cecilia unclasped hands. Moving back, Cecilia folded her arms and watched as her daughter paused a moment before starting to skate. She was trying to do the same motions as her mother, which led to another warm burst of pride swell in her chest. Elizabeth took off, making a rotation before landing awkwardly, putting her hand down and wobbling a moment before she stood up again.    
“That was a really good try!” she called, greeted with a smile before she looked determined. “What do you feel like went wrong there?” she asked, wanting to help her out. “I didn’t jump high enough to spin like you did!” she called back in response, already starting to move again. Watching patiently, Elizabeth attempted the jump once more. This time she completed two rotations, hitting the ice mid-third and wobbling, managing to stay upright as she grasped onto the wall. 

“Be careful! I’ve hit my face on the wall, it’s not fun!” Skating over, Cecilia lightly held Elizabeth’s shoulders, steadying her. “Maybe you should work on your landing, only do one rotation until you’ve got it down, all right?” she offered, and Elizabeth gave a little nod. “Can you show me?” she asked, and it was Cecilia’s turn to nod before she let go, moving to get ready. Skating until she was up to speed, she took a breath and took off on her inner left skate, doing a single rotation before landing on the outer right edge, skimming to a stop before turning, giving an encouraging smile. “Okay, now you try,” she called, and Elizabeth nodded. Moving, she started to skate as well before she took off, spinning and landing neatly. She wobbled slightly as she moved, but let out an excited little shriek. “I did it!” she cheered, the two meeting in the middle of the ice to share a delighted embrace. “I’m so proud of you!” Cecilia beamed, giving her a little squeeze before letting her go. Elizabeth did a couple more jumps, cheering every time she landed neatly, turning then and waving with both arms over her head, soon skating to where her father was. 

 

“Daddy! Come skate with us now!” She called out to him, and even from where she was Cecilia could see the little wince he did. Looks like he was hoping she would have forgotten. Skating over to join, she rested her hands on her hips and gave a little smile, chuckling at the brief look of ‘please help me’ he gave her. “Come on, get your skates on Will,” she said, and he gave a defeated groan. Moving, he sat on the bench on the other side of the wall, pulling off his shoes and putting on the skates. She watched him a moment before shaking her head, sliding off the ice and kneeling in front of him. “You tied them way too loose,” she said, pushing her fingers between his ankle and the top of the skate. “You’re gonna hurt yourself like that,” she continued, untying the knot and pulling the laces tighter, until there wasn’t wiggle room. 

“Seriously?” he murmured soft, but after a moment his hand caressed her curls, his touch gentle as she tied his skates for him. Retying the other as well, she soon stood and offered her hand to her, which he took and grimaced. Holding on tight, he eyed the ice warily before giving a defeated sigh. 

“I’m coming,” he said before Elizabeth could start needling him again, the child skating backwards to give him space. “It’s like walking, just hold my hand,” Cecilia said as she stepped back on, unintentionally giving him a little pull as he got on as well. Immediately he was squeezing her hand tightly, making a few ‘oh’s as he carefully started skating. Giving a little giggle, she had the image of a little fawn starting to walk, patiently holding onto him as they got further onto the ice. He held his other hand out by his side, wobbling a little before he pitched forwards, Cecilia turning quickly and catching him before he fell onto the ice. 

“Nope, no I don’t want to do this anymore,” he said as Elizabeth giggled, joining the pair and holding onto his side to help support him. His other hand held his wife’s shoulder firmly, dropping to her upper arm before her elbow as he straightened, wobbling dangerously still. 

“Come on, don’t be a quitter,” she teased, holding his other hand and starting to skate backwards, gently pulling him along. He held onto both of her hands, looking between her and their feet, carefully moving his legs to try and skate with her. Elizabeth skated beside them, a big grin on her face as she finally was able to see her father act much sillier than he usually did. “You can do it daddy!” she encouraged, earning a slight smile from him in response before he slowly straightened, carefully pushing off and skating a bit more proper. 

“If you say so, I suppose I can,” he said, though Cecilia was fairly certain she could hear the embarrassment in his voice. Giving a little grin, she tried very hard not to laugh, she didn’t want him to think she was making fun of him. “You’re doing better now,” she said gently, and he shot her a glance and. Was he pouting? 

 

Pressing her lips together, she did her best not to start laughing, holding his hands a bit tighter. “Don’t you laugh,” he said, and she started giggling, unable to resist. He scoffed, letting go of her hands and immediately grabbing on again, nearly falling forwards. “This is horrid,” he muttered, pushing off and getting them to go a bit faster. Making a turn, he swallowed hard and wobbled a bit again before losing balance. Scrambling, he pitched forwards and knocked Cecilia off her feet, causing them to both land in a little heap on the ice. “Mama! Daddy!” Elizabeth called out, skating as close as she comfortably could. 

“We’re fine!” Cecilia called, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as he got his hands under him, pushing up and brushing this thumbs against her sides. “We’re fine,” she repeated, softer as she gazed at him, tipping her head slightly to the side. “Push up when you’re ready, it’s good you landed on your front,” she said, sitting up and scooting back a bit. 

“Hmm,” he hummed, obviously distracted as he tore his gaze from her, moving to crouch before he stood, taking Elizabeth’s hand as she came to assist. Cecilia moved to her hands and knees before she was able to get up as well, taking his other hand and starting to skate again. “Ugh,” he held onto her hand, though he seemed much more accustomed to this than before. 

 

The trio made a few laps around the rink, William slowly getting a bit more confident in skating. He still held onto their hands, but it was less for balance and more for the sake of holding hands. “This is nice,” Cecilia commented, smiling back at her husband when he looked at her. “I wish we could do this all the time~ Maybe Mikey will come skate with us sometime!” Elizabeth sounded genuinely excited about that, making Cecilia laugh a little. “I’d love for him to join us. It would be nice,” she responded, and Elizabeth immediately looked up at William. 

“Daddy. Can Mikey come today?? Like right now?” she asked, vibrating a little. He made a little noise and shrugged his shoulders. “I can call him, I suppose,” he responded, and the trio made a beeline for the entrance. William wobbled as he got off the ice, damn near collapsing onto the bench on the side of the wall. “Ugh,” he muttered, rooting around in his bag. Elizabeth joined him, rubbing at her ruddy cheeks. It was rather cold on the ice, but Cecilia didn’t mind it. She wasn’t even tired, humming a bit before skating backwards, away from the opening. Glancing, she noted Elizabeth turning to watch her, giving a little smile before looking forwards. 

Getting back to a better speed, she hummed a little, listening to her skates cut through the ice. It was familiar and easy, and she moved to crouch slightly. Pushing off on the back outside edge of her left foot, she heard the familiar toe-pick click as she took off, making three rotations before landing, a triple toe loop easily done. Doing another salchow as well, she hummed a bit as she leaned down, changing direction to skate backwards. A lutz, she wanted to practice that. Taking a breath, she lifted her right leg out before bringing it down for the toe pick, taking off from the outside edge of her left foot. Turning, she definitely felt like she over-rotated, landing on her right foot and immediately sticking out her hands for balance, leaning up and managing not to fall. Turning, she shook her head a little before turning back, starting to work on cleaning up her Lutz. 

 

She did that until she heard a call, turning her head to see William standing and waving, noticing the crop of dirty blond hair beside him. Skating over, she held onto the side and flashed him a smile, looking over then to Michael as he focused on tying on his skates. “Glad you could join us! Have you skated before?” she asked curiously, rubbing away a bit of sweat from her cheeks. 

“Yeah, when it got colder,” Michael smiled at her before straightening, making sure the skates were tight enough. “I haven’t been in a little bit, but it won’t be too hard to get back into the swing of it,” he finished, standing and letting Elizabeth take his hand. Cecilia took William’s hands, helping him back onto the ice and giving him another little smile, skating backwards once more. 

“What were those jumps you were doing?” Elizabeth asked, skating alongside the couple as Michael wasted no time in remembering how to skate. It looked like William was the only bambi there. 

“Toe loop and Lutz. Lutzes are super hard,” she frowned absently, wishing she could devote more time to practicing it but realizing that she loved spending time with her family a lot more. Letting go of one of William’s hands, their daughter clasped her father’s hand, giving a little giggle. “They look so cool. I wanna try them one day!” she said, excited at the idea of doing them. “I’d love to teach you them, when you master the easier ones,” Cecilia responded, squeezing William’s hand as he wobbled a little. Looking over at Michael, she didn’t miss the tender expression on his face as he watched his sister talk, the look transferring when he noticed her gaze on him. Giving him a slight smile, she hummed before looking to her husband, watching him gaze at the ice in heavy concentration. 

“You are so cute,” she murmured, making Michael immediately groan. “Ma, please, don’t flirt with him right now,” he slapped his forehead, making her laugh and William snort, shaking his head. “She flirts with me all the time, you know,” he commented, moving to wrap his arm around her waist before his skates clicked and he took all of them down with him. Landing on her front, Cecilia gave a little ‘oof!’ before starting to laugh, feeling William’s arm lay over her back still. Lifting her head, she could see Elizabeth ended up on her bottom, Michael on his knees and William sprawled out half on his wife and half on the ice. 

“Look at what your flirting did,” Michael grumbled, making Cecilia start to laugh as William groaned in response. Pushing himself up, he sat on his knees and rubbed his chest, shaking his head as Cecilia sat up as well, sitting on her bottom as she giggled. “Keep it up Michael, I’ll start flirting more,” he threatened, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pressing a kiss to her cheek, almost in spite. Laughing at Michael’s groan and covering Elizabeth’s eyes, she wrapped her arms back around William and genuinely felt happy. 

 

The family skated for at least an hour together, going out to dinner afterwards before William dropped them off with Phoebe, taking Cecilia back to his home. As they rode back, his hand rested on her thigh, thumb rubbing absently over her skin as he gazed forwards. Smiling absently, she held his arm and exhaled softly, watching the purple streak across the sky. “Will, do you know what’s going on at work?” she asked after a moment, the knowledge of where they had to be making her remember what was bothering her before. He squeezed absently, giving a little hum before he asked, “What do you mean?”   
“I mean it feels like there’s more animatronics at the pizzeria,” she said, sighing a little before looking over at him to see him glancing at her periodically. “You haven’t noticed?” She asked, and he merely shrugged. “Not really, sort of. I do notice that there’s noises like giggling, and the mangled animatronic that hangs on the ceiling, but I figure that management is trying to trade off which animatronics are where. Or something of the sort,” he shrugged, clearly unbothered by it. Parking in the driveway, the pair exited the car to enter the house, William’s arms immediately going around his wife as he planted her on the couch, leaning over her. Amorous. 

“Hey,” she started, feeling her face go hot as he moved her curls, fanning them out. “I can’t stop thinking about how you looked under me on the ice,” he murmured, leaning down and pressing his mouth to hers. 

Once more she was left feeling like a teenager, his hand cold under her shirt as she pushed her fingers through his hair, pressing their bodies close. He was so cold, it must have been from the ice, but for some reason it felt a little bit like there was ice in her chest, an echo of a memory that wasn’t hers. Parting her lips, she pushed it away as he wrapped his arms around her even tighter, pressing himself into her space until she forgot about everything that wasn’t him. 

 

The echo of the memory that wasn’t hers lingered when she came back to herself, laying under him on the couch as her gaze trailed over the darkening walls. “We didn’t even turn on the lights,” she muttered, making him laugh into her neck before pressing another kiss to the bruises he left, slowly easing himself back up and letting her feel a bit cool again. “What time is it?” she looked around a moment, his head turning to look at the glowing light of the clock on the DVR. “It’s almost 11. We should get ready,” he moved off, readjusting his pants before giving a shrug. “Let’s take a shower together,” he said then, flashing her a smile and making her give a little noise, pulling her shirt down as she stood as well. “You are so dastardly!” she complained, but she followed him upstairs to his room and the joined bathroom there, turning on the lights. “You love it. You love it quite dearly,” he retorted simply, pulling his shirt the rest of the way off and letting her see the red marks her nails left over his scarred body. Touching the smooth skin absently, she gave a little hum before pulling her own shirt off, gathering their clothes and tossing them into the laundry pile. “I need to do laundry tomorrow,” she muttered to herself, heading into the bathroom. 

The two took much longer in the shower than they should have, Cecilia left not feeling much cleaner than when she got in. Tying up her wet curls, she made a discontent noise at the sight of the bruises that surrounded the scar of the abrasion in her neck, shaking her head as she finished buttoning her shirt. “Quit biting me so much,” she said when she turned to her husband, making him laugh as he finished tying his purple tie, standing and moving to corner her a little. “No,” was his simple response as he dipped his head, biting under her jaw and making her squeal in irritation, swatting his shoulders. “I’ll stop biting you when you quit digging your nails into my back, how’s that?” he asked, wincing as he touched his upper shoulder briefly. “It doesn’t feel good having to wear a shirt over them, you know,” he said, to which she turned away with a bratty little ‘hmph!’. “You’re so lucky we’ll be late if we do this a third time,” he warned, swatting her behind and making her gasp in outrage, turning and swatting his ass right back. 

“Don’t you spank me!” she yelped before bursting into laughter as he gave chase, managing to get down the stairs and through the living room before he pressed her into the door, dipping his head and landing more bites to her neck, making her squeal between giggles and little moans. “Evil! Dastardly man!” she squealed when his cold hands started under her shirt again, squirming and laughing as she unlocked the door. “No! We’ll be late, you evil man! I don’t wanna be late!” she gasped as he lifted her, holding her contained under one arm as he carried her on out, locking the door behind him. Drawing her up, he laid a kiss that left her silent and breathless before carrying her to the car. “Enough out of you,” he murmured, setting her down outside the passenger’s door and getting in on the driver’s side. Standing there a moment, she touched her mouth before getting in, buckling up and turning more towards the door, a little pouty. “Stop that,” he laughed, reaching and taking her hand; she allowed him to hold it as he drove them to work, smiling quietly to the world outside the window. 

 

It was still an easy dampener to her honeymooning mood when they got to the pizzeria, the idea of animatronics that potentially could hurt them making her nerves jolt to attention, worry filling her. Getting out, she took a moment before she headed inside with a bit more of an intention, clocking in with him but instead of going to the office immediately, she started towards the main stage. “Cecilia, where are you going?” he asked, after her, taking her hand and forced to join his wife when she refused to stop. 

“I want to look at something really quick,” she said, looking around the main room before looking upwards at the ceiling. Making a noise of discontent, she took off like a woman on a mission, her husband left to follow silently, torn between confusion and interest in what was on her mind. It was so interesting how she bounced from a blushing bride to a serious investigator, the switch remindant of William’s switch between himself and the urge to kill. 

Shaking that off, he followed her as she headed to the backroom again, leaning her head in before drawing back with an annoyed noise. “I don’t get it. I thought they would be stored back here, but they aren’t,” she rested her hand on her hip before shaking her head, heading towards the office finally.    
“What do you mean?” he asked as he followed behind her, raising his brows. “The other animatronics. I don’t know where they would be if not the main or back room! I know I haven’t imagined them…” she rubbed her chin, looking annoyed as they went back to the office. 

 

Surprisingly, nothing too out of the ordinary happened that night, though Cecilia certainly was too wrapped in her own thoughts to notice. Something was amiss, something big. 

 

Something was brewing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wont lie i didnt have any ideas for a full night idea so instead we get skating, romance, and mystery. dont worry the next chapter's gonna hurt a lot


	13. Day 7*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is gonna hurt :)

It almost felt empty to go back to the rink alone. Though she needed the focus, she missed hearing Elizabeth’s excited giggles, the extra noise of her skates on the ice, the soft warmth of her little hand in hers. Sighing softly, Cecilia didn’t know why she was missing her daughter so badly, but resolved to give her a good cuddle when she saw her next. The promise of that made her feel a little lighter, moving to get on the ice. Turning on the little stereo she used for music, she sighed softly as she listened to the soft piano playing. 

Moving back, she exhaled soft before starting to move, letting the music take her where she felt like going. Soon the familiar noise of her skates moving seamlessly on the ice was a comforting memory, the noise of her toe pick when she leapt into a toe loop before landing easily, breaths coming much easier. Turning her head, the cold air blew her curls into her face, grazing her cheek like a lover’s caress and she felt utterly peaceful. Breathing easier, she turned and gave another toe pick, lifting from a Lutz and landing it easily, the relaxation making her feel like she was flying, like everything was moving the way it needed to. Breathing out, a soft smile rose as her eyes fluttered shut, moving merely from memory and sound, though she did soon peek her eyes open to make sure she wasn’t grazing too close to the walls. Shaking her head a little, she found herself wondering where this sheer sense of peace came from when she opened her eyes again. 

There was a blur of yellow, a little extra slide of skates on the ice and Cecilia turned quickly, blinking at nothing around her. There was...nothing around her. Slowly turning again, she took a deep breath and felt an odd emotion rising in her chest. Something was wrong. Something bad happened. It was unignorable, so she skated to the opening and sat down on the bench, pulling off her skates and heading out. Jogging lightly, she headed to her van before drumming her fingers on her thigh nervously, unsure of what to do. 

Where was everyone today? There was a party at the second location, she remembered that, but was there really something wrong there? She knew Circus Baby was making a debut, and Elizabeth really wanted to play with her, but William refused to let her. It was...odd, the odd altercation rising in her mind and making her gut feeling get worse.    
Taking a breath, she turned her van on and headed over to the second location, her hands starting to shake. Parking neatly in the already mostly full lot, she got out on shaking legs and gazed up at the much more bright location. It was definitely different from Freddy’s Pizzeria, but it gave her the same dread when they got to the first location at night. 

 

Steeling herself, she walked towards the building, blinking at the sight. It was full of kids, full of light and bright things but she just felt and unyielding sense of fear. Passing a smile to the group of children running past her, she carefully picked her way through the building. The main room, the hallways, the side rooms, she walked until she could hear the faint song from Circus Baby. She helped program this song, a little song that now made her feel chills. Peering into the room, she saw a few children playing there, the animatronic on the stage, swaying slightly. But something was off, something was so off. Walking inside, Cecilia went right up to the stage, looking up at the brightly colored girl. 

“Would you like some ice cream?” The animatronic spoke in a soft voice, but Cecilia thought she heard a tone of sadness in it. “I smell like birthday cake. Do you like that?” continued, her large hand reaching out to the woman. Reaching up, her hand was much smaller in Baby’s, almost childlike as the animatronic helped her onto the stage. Turning around slowly with her, her gaze dropped to the pure white stomach, feeling her heart starting to kick into a nervous pound. Taking a soft breath, she looked up and met Baby’s electric green gaze, her painted smile plastered on, but she could feel that maybe the robot didn’t want to smile. 

“Would you like some ice cream?” she asked again, insistent. “Would you like some ice cream?”    
Cecilia knew she needed to answer, but she was too afraid for the moment. Taking a few deep breaths, she simply reached her shaking hands out and pushed up on the little section of her stomach, pushing it open and reaching inside. 

Her fingers hit something wet and squishy almost immediately, her eyes shutting tightly as her hands pushed in deeper, finding a good way to hold and grasp what was inside. 

“Ice...cream,” Baby whispered, melodic but undeniably saddened. “I’m sorry,” she said then, and Cecilia knew that wasn’t programmed in. Reopening her eyes, she peered quietly into the dark inside of the animatronic. “I know,” she responded, grasping her daughter under her arms and pulling her out. Nestling her child against her chest, she reached in with an arm and caught her under her knees, drawing her out completely. Stepping back, the woman was mostly hidden by the larger girl, her stomach sliding closed again as her head angled down, the two gazing at what had to be the worst sight either of them had seen. 

 

Elizabeth was crushed - literally. Deep wounds were in her sides, grotesquely glistening under the lights, dark purple-red insides barely contained, dark hands moving to hold her shut to keep her from spilling out all over their feet. Her eyes were blessedly shut, lips pressed together as if she were merely sleeping, dark bruising over her face. Her nose was broken, Cecilia could tell easily by the darker bruising on the bridge of her nose and the twin drips of blood messing her face. Her legs were mangled, scraped from the knee down from the pull inside. Bone glimmered under the lights of the stage, smeared with blood and muscle. It was clear that there was no surviving this, which made the mother’s legs give out as she dropped heavily, cradling her daughter in her arms. She was so overwhelmingly distressed she genuinely wanted to die right next to her child. 

“My little peach,” she breathed, resting her legs down gently to embrace the child properly, tucking her little face into her neck. Almost pretending there was breath against her neck, she started to rock the little girl, shutting her eyes tightly and burrowing her fingers into stained curls. “Little peach, little peach,” she whimpered, wondering if the breathing on her neck was real or not. If she was dying right now, or if Cecilia was just wishing so that at least she wouldn’t die alone. “I love you, Elizabeth, I love you my baby girl,” she whispered to her, breathing into her curls before she started to sing a little lullaby to her, wanting to comfort the corpse of the little girl who just the day before had been smiling so wide over learning how to perform a Salchow. 

  
“ _ If you must leave, leave as though fire burns under your feet… _ ” 

 

Oh, her daughter had been so happy to start skating, she always seemed so happy. That smile of hers could have cured any ailment, could have brightened any room, shone brighter than any sun. Elizabeth was quite honestly the light of everyone’s life. But now she lay limply, almost angelic in a grotesque way, torn apart by the robot built to be hers. 

 

“ _ If you must speak, speak every word as if it were unique…”  _

 

There was faint cries of shock, children crying out loudly and then parents and hollering from them, but everything felt so distant. Nothing mattered, nobody else mattered in that moment. Taking a breath, Cecilia could only smell blood and nothing else, the scent stinging and harsh, not like Elizabeth at all. But it was Elizabeth, it was everything left of her so she breathed it in anyway, not wanting to forget any moment of her. She didn’t even want to open her eyes, she didn’t want to move, never again. Continuing to stroke matted curls, everything just felt faded compared to what was in her arms. 

 

“ _ If you must die, sweetheart, die knowing your life was my life’s best part… _ ” 

 

Nestling her unbearably close, Cecilia wanted to cry but couldn’t. Everything was so painful. 

A hand came down on her upper arm, her eyes opening as her head lifted. Through the haze she could see William, crouching next to her with wide eyes and an expression that didn’t seem like him at all. Her lips parted but nothing came from her lips, instead she moved a bit to loosen her hold on Elizabeth, letting her little head roll a little and expression to show out to her father. His other hand came up to cover his mouth, eyes still so wide, and Cecilia realized he had never experienced the loss of a child quite the same way she had. Gently she moved to lean against him a little, ready to let him hold her if he wanted to. But he didn’t want to, instead putting his arm around Cecilia’s shoulders and holding them both to his chest. 

“Oh my god,” his voice was weak, hoarse with unshown emotion. That was all he said before he pulled Cecilia in tighter, starting to shake. Wrapping an arm around him, she squeezed him gently, looking up at him before back down to their daughter, biting her lower lip. 

This felt so unreal, maybe that’s why she wasn’t crying yet. Everything just didn’t feel real, she was in a state of shock again. Looking upwards, Baby was still standing over them, almost protectively blocking the rest of the room out while the two held the child. They sat for countless minutes, but soon there were uniformed officials and Elizabeth was gently taken from Cecilia’s arms. Slowly standing, she exhaled softly and looked down at herself as her husband stood, taking a little step back. Blood was smeared on her white shirt, but her hands had the most of it. Practically dripping grotesquely, trembling fingers were painted darkly red, nearly black from the sheer amount of it. Taking a shaky breath, she rubbed them against her thighs habitually, smearing the blood onto her bare skin thanks to the short leotard exposing her thighs. 

“Will,” Cecilia’s voice was feeble, her gaze settling on him. His eyes were unfocused, staring a hole into Circus Baby as she stood slightly behind his wife. He wasn’t paying attention at all, she could see it, and she was far too messy to want to touch him for his attention. Taking a couple of deep breaths, she looked instead out at the room around them, now left mostly empty from the children being guided out by worried parents, only officials were there. Turning to look up at Circus Baby again, the larger animatronic turned to look down at her, the two sharing a gaze before Cecilia simply heaved a heavy sigh. Having no idea what to say, she merely looked back to William before wrapping her arms around herself, figuring they’d just wait in the room until officials talked to them, or William snapped out of his stare. 

 

Or someone came bursting in. Namely it was Phoebe, running in damn near like a bat out of hell with Henry hot on her trail. It was a myriad of sudden shouting, Henry yelling for Phoebe to stop and Phoebe screaming about killing someone. The hollering ceased as the other woman got up on the stage, pulling her arm back and socking her ex-husband directly in the face. Jerking back in shock, William’s hands came up to protect his face, but it was unneeded because such an action spurred Cecilia to action. The bloodied woman immediately planted herself between them, giving such a hot glare that it was a shock the temperature wasn’t rising in the room. “Are you really going to fucking protect him!? He built that stupid robot that killed our daughter! This is his fault!” she was screaming, waving her arms around before trying to move Cecilia to the side, though the other woman was not moving. Instead, she held her bloodied arm out and to the side, barring her from getting to the man behind her. Shoving her back almost violently, she followed and leaned up, having to get in close to be able to properly get in Phoebe’s face. 

“Do not hit my husband again, or you will sorely regret it,” her tone dripped in ice, malice unconcealed but only showing itself as present, not to be acted upon. “He did not kill my little peach. Do not put this blame on him,” she jabbed her index finger under the other woman’s chin, tilting her head slightly to the side before her elbow was gently accosted, Henry dragging her back a bit. 

“Enough, tension is really high and the last thing we need is a fight,” he said, playing peacemaker. Cecilia immediately relaxed, hugging herself again and looking away, not ashamed but she was upset about all of this occurring. This shouldn’t be happening, none of this should have been. A bad dream, a horrid dream that just wasn’t real. 

She needed to wake up. Pinching her arm, she pulled a little on her skin before shutting her eyes, listening to Henry murmur to Phoebe, a mix of voices before everything was dark and quiet. 

 

Cecilia had fainted. 

 

Waking up again, she blinked at the bright lights, tossing her arm over her eyes and giving a little noise of complaint at the pounding in her head. Feeling almost dizzy from pain, she realized her legs were dangling and opened her eyes to see that Circus Baby was holding her up, stiff and a little clumsy but nonetheless holding her. Turning her head, she realized she didn’t really recognize where she was, but she wasn’t about to move lest she get dropped. “What…?” she asked softly instead, voice almost dreamy. Rubbing the heel of her hand over her eyes, she looked up and really didn’t know where they were. It was dim, the only glow coming from Baby’s electric green eyes, and even then nothing seemed to be illuminated. 

After a few moments of swaying from being carried, Cecilia was gently set down against something. Sitting up, she realized it was another stage, Baby had taken her to another one of the private rooms entirely. Rubbing her eyes, she was grateful for the darkness, the quiet and being away from other people. Looking to the animatronic, she was essentially at neck level with Baby now, considering she was sitting down. 

Reaching out, she placed her hand against the girl’s metallic cheek, the bright pink orb of her cheek cold and smooth under her hand. Taking a breath, she glanced around the room before finally looking to Baby’s glowing green eyes, swallowing hard. “Ah...Why’d you take me here?” she asked, reaching up to touch at the fringe painted onto her head, touching gently. “You were hurt,” she said simply, but it was also carefully strung together. Limited vocabulary, probably. 

Moving, Circus Baby pulled herself up and sat beside Cecilia, her legs dangling off the stage and hands resting in her lap. “I’m sorry,” she spoke again, the same utterly melancholy tone that made Cecilia’s heart ache. Scooting a bit closer, she rested her head upon the flat surface of the animatronic’s arm, hugging onto her larger arm and holding gently, as best as she could. 

“You didn’t mean to. I don’t know why you did it, but...you didn’t mean it,” shutting her eyes, her thoughts wandered away from what happened to her daughter, instead settling to sit in the comfortable silence with the other girl. The soft, faint hum of the inner machinery whirring and clicking was soothing, enough to focus on and help Cecilia clear her mind. 

 

She didn’t know how long the two of them sat there in silence until a light flooded the room from the door, lighting up the room briefly before closing, returning the two in darkness. Heavy steps sounded, but there was no need to feel fear. A soft grunt sounded next to Cecilia before a comfortable presence was next to her. “William,” she whispered his name softly, reaching out one of her hands and touching his upper arm. Grazing her hand down the fabric of his sleeve to the bare skin of his exposed forearm, her hand found his and his fingers pressed into the space between hers, their palms coming together familiarly. “Will…” she swallowed hard, peering at him through the darkness. She could see the outline of him in the dark, the soft curve of his face and the way his hair fell loosely, casually careless. He leaned in closer, setting his head in the curve of her neck and just resting there against her. Letting go of his hand, she wrapped her arm around his shoulders, holding him close to her. 

“They took her out, and the police questioned Phoebe, Henry and I. They wanted to talk to you, but by then you and Circus Baby were gone,” he spoke, his low voice a little hoarse as his breath brushed over her collarbones. “They want to look at her too. I don’t...know what to do,” he fell silent after that, his arms wrapping around her waist and holding onto her. Resting her cheek on his soft locks, her eyes drifted shut and she held him in silence for a moment, unsure of what to say to comfort him. 

“I’m sorry,” Circus Baby spoke, her voice louder than either of theirs in the dark. “I’m sorry,” she repeated, and Cecilia opened her eyes and turned her head to look at her. 

“It’s okay, Baby,” she reassured, rubbing the animatronic’s arm comfortingly as if it would make a difference in how the AI was feeling. 

Did she even feel? It was so odd to think about. 

Squeezing her husband once more, he made a small noise and drew back, seeming to almost ignore the animatronic for the moment. “Henry offered to take care of us like we did for him,” he said, and she gave a little frown.    
“No...I think we’ll be okay. I don’t want to bring him down,” she said, gently letting go of Circus Baby in favor of rubbing at her face. “I just...this doesn’t even feel real to me, Will,” she looked over to the other girl before gazing forwards, taking a slow breath. His hand found hers again and he gave a squeeze, moving off the stage and wrapping his other arm around her waist, pulling her down with him. He didn’t let go of her hand, instead he just started out. Wordless. 

 

“Where are we going?” she asked, beckoning the animatronic to follow them as she walked with him. She could hear the telltale noise of her getting off the stage and following after them, casting a little shadow over the much smaller woman. “Just have to answer a few questions, and then we can go home,” he responded, his voice heavy with hidden emotion. Leaning her head upon his upper arm, Cecilia wondered if she really did want to talk about this with anyone, to have to explain how she pulled her daughter out…   
Giving a small noise of pain, she lifted her head and rubbed at her cheek, gazing out at the brighter hallway. There were a few drawings scattered about, though it seemed like she hadn’t noticed them when she first walked down the hallway, the childlike scribbles showing bright red and blue. It was emptier and quieter now, an echo from the excited noise from before. Turning her head, she looked back at the animatronic behind them before reaching her other hand out, lifting her head to hold her hand out for her. The electric gaze lifted before the much larger hand took hers, holding gently. When they arrived in the main room, it was still empty, tables full of party favors and cake left scattered like the scene of a crime. Standing beside her, the mother looked out at the officers milling about, Henry and Phoebe standing close to a group with them and seeming to hold conversation. Henry’s gaze lifted first, connecting with Cecilia. Immediately breaking away from them, he strode over and rested his hands on the smaller woman’s shoulders. “How are you feeling?” he asked, his voice soft. Squeezing Will’s hand, she swallowed hard before looking up at him.    
“I’ll be fine. I’m...not feeling like this is real. Do I have to talk to them?” she asked, curling her hands against the metal and flesh in either one, looking down. “Henry,” she spoke his name and said nothing more besides it, simply closing her eyes instead. 

 

A soft moment passed before Henry yanked her in, pressing her head into his chest. His large hand rubbed over her curls, smoothing them down before just holding her firmly. Shutting her eyes, she leaned into his chest, refusing to let go of either of the hands she held. “...I can talk. I’ll be okay,” she said decidedly after a moment, opening her eyes and drawing away to look up at him, then finally letting go of William and Circus Baby’s hands.    
Biting her lower lip, she looked around Henry before heading to a couple of officers standing off away from the group together, not wanting to be in the middle of a large group. She only got a few steps over until a warm hand grasped hers again, squeezing and she looked up to see her husband there. Pressing her palm to his, she took a deep breath and forced a little smile to him, brows drawn. “I’ll be okay,” she reassured softly, but neither of them let go of each other.    
The conversation with the police was rather quick, a good portion just simply asking her what happened from her point of view. She realized quickly that she looked suspect, but all doubt was cast away when she said it was from pulling Elizabeth from the animatronic. She spoke carefully, feeling more like an outsider looking in as she retold what happened, trying to refrain from breaking down. She would be fine. 

Turning away when she was finished, she saw a few officers around Circus Baby, likely trying to open her up. Accidentally pulling him along, she walked to them and carefully got through, touching her side. “Baby,” she spoke, catching the animatronic’s attention, “Baby, it’s okay. I think we’ll get you to go to sleep for a bit, okay? Get some rest while they look at you,” she spoke gently, Will moving and reaching up to switch her controls.    
Cecilia could have sworn she saw a glimpse of fear in her electric green eyes and she just squeezed gently, worriedly. “You’re fine,” she said, and in response her eyes went blank and she straightened up. The lights dimmed, fading completely, showing that she was asleep. 

 

She didn’t want to see the inside of Baby again, so she turned to look at her husband instead. “Can we go?” she spoke softly, and he nodded in response. Hugging onto his arm and feeling more than a little like a child, she walked with him through the building before breaking apart to get into her van.    
Following him home, she trembled and felt like she was fading out again, her head light and a daze over her. Waiting outside for William, she folded her arms over her chest and realized once more there was blood all down her front. Starting to shake, she swallowed hard as he got out of his car, quickly guiding her inside. “Come on, let’s get you in the shower,” he spoke gently, his voice low and soothing as it usually was. Trailing up the stairs, she stripped off her shirt and shakily folded it, setting it down on the dresser. “I don’t want to clean it,” she whispered, heading into the bathroom. 

Turning the shower up as high as she could stand it, she stood under the stream after undressing and trembled. Nothing felt real. Nothing was real.    
Why was she dead? 

 

Stepping out after countless moments, she saw the lights off in the bedroom and realized that William likely wanted to sleep this off. Quietly just pulling on underwear, she hung the towel and picked her way through the dark bedroom, climbing into bed and laying on her side, gazing at the outline of her husband. His back was to her, hunched very slightly and she realized he was shaking. The bed was shaking a little too, and then he inhaled shakily. 

William was crying.    
Feeling her heart practically break, she moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close and resting her head against his upper back, shutting her eyes. His hands found hers and he kissed one, holding it to his mouth as he breathed shakily. Hot tears hit her fingers, trailing over her knuckles, his shaking breath brushing over her palm. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he whispered, curling up a bit more but not letting her go. Giving him a gentle squeeze, she didn’t respond, instead just holding him. 

She didn’t know how long it took for him to calm, but she knew she dozed off. It felt as if everything hurt but she at least had her husband there too. 

 

It would be okay. 

It  _ had  _ to be okay. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was a struggle to write, sorry omg  
> but hey.  
> the end is nigh.


	14. Night 7*

Bright glimpses were starting to smear into Cecilia’s eyesight. She didn’t know what was going on; if it was lack of sleep, depression, or what. But nothing just felt right anymore. William seemed a bit more pulled into himself, not intentionally cold but drifting, aloof. He still held her, gave kisses and smiled at her, but it seemed like a sad echo. 

Of course, it wasn’t to say she didn’t feel affected either. She put her skates away in their bag, pushing it into the back of her van and letting it stay in there for a bit. For a while. Until she didn’t feel like she was getting ice shards pushed into her heart. 

Yet the smears and glimpses of whatever was much more frequent, along with lingering sensations of worry, hope, but also the faintest graze of a child’s hand. On the night shift it would feel worse, the bright lights getting more noticeable and gaps of time lost due to her just staring out at the darkness. 

Of course, it was easy to just put the blame on grief. Grief was such an odd thing, and it never was the same. It would pass, that was all she could keep telling herself every time she roused to see that  _ hours  _ had passed instead of mere moments like she thought. It was starting to skew her sense of time, she felt almost constantly in a light daze. Her sadness seemed to stick with her, though it wasn’t like she was completely alone. William held her as often as he could, more than likely as often as he wanted to be held as well. It wasn’t uncommon for them to just lean against something and embrace warmly, never needing any words as there was just comfort in their touch. Michael came by frequently as well, wrapping himself into his other mother’s arms and sometimes crying, other times just holding her like his father did. The affection made the pain a bit easier to bear, but for some reason the tears still didn’t want to come. Nothing still felt completely real, and she realized why Michael had been so torn up about Charlie. What he meant about feeling as if she would come through the door at any moment - she felt as if she would turn around and Elizabeth would be right there, interested in having her fix her hair or wanting a hug. 

It was about two weeks when time felt steady enough again, the wound still aching but it wasn’t as fresh as it had been before. Of course, there was still a tone of sadness in the home, but it wasn’t as if the two could stay like that forever. Elizabeth never would have wanted that and they both knew it.

 

A gentle kiss greeted Cecilia when she came down the stairs, taking her by surprise but not wholly unwelcome. The smile felt foreign on her face, but she did feel a familiar warmth tickle inside of her chest. Leaning up, the two shared another gentle kiss that made the woman tremble slightly before they pulled away to embrace instead. William’s fingers eased through her curls as he laid kisses to her temple and forehead, humming soft. “I’m going to go in a bit early, all right? I want to make sure everything is settled, apparently there was a fiasco this morning,” he spoke low, tone warm and she nodded in response. 

“Okay. Always a top employee, aren’t you?” it was a light tease and he merely chuckled in response, dipping his head down to meet her lips one more time. It was like they had never kissed before, but then again it had been a while since their last proper smooch. Keeping her there until they were both breathless, it was easier to smile at him when she drew back. It would be all right, she realized, and felt a little less heavy in her heart. 

“I love you. See you at work,” he gave a light peck before he went out the front, leaving her resting her hand on her chest and breathing a soft sigh. “I love you too…” she murmured after him, realizing that it had been a while since she had felt lighter like this. Rubbing the back of her neck, there was a small prick of guilt that she quickly pushed down, taking a deep breath and shaking it off. 

Trailing back upstairs, she dressed and then ate briefly, taking the keys to her van and heading out. There was no rush to get to work, although it was nice not to feel rushed to get into the back office. 

Gazing up at the building, she pursed her lips slightly and shook her head, heading in through the front doors. It was dim as usual, but something felt new. Lingering in the doorway, there was a little sense inside of her telling her not to go in. Of course, it wasn’t the first time she had felt that, but it was the first time in a long while that it took ahold of her as violently as it did. Finding her breath was hitching and shaking, her hand came up to clasp at her bosom a moment as she worked to calm herself down.    
“There’s no need to worry,” she murmured to herself, rubbing the back of her neck once more. There was no need to worry, she was safe and William was already somewhere in there where he could take care of himself. Taking a few breaths through her nose, she cleared her throat and dropped her hands, determined to get in there and get to work. 

 

She only got a few steps before there was a little noise, and then without warning the odd animatronic that mostly kept to the ceiling dropped down in front of her, the fox head lightly pressing its muzzle to hers and making her shriek in surprise. Lurching back, she wobbled and fell backwards onto her ass rather clumsily, holding herself sitting upright with her hands. Looking up, she gasped when a black figure uncoiled itself from around the animatronic, slinking down to sit briefly at her feet before rising, revealing a white mask. There was a wide smile, orbs of blush, tears, and white irises glowing within the dark circles of the eyes, casting both a creepy and a rather sympathetic vibe onto whatever it was. 

“Sorry I scared you,” the voice was light and musical, almost childlike, “but I don’t want you to miss this,” the figure reached its hand out to Cecilia and she took it, moving almost completely on autopilot. Once she stood, she paused before lifting the puppet-like figure, cradling it easily within one arm. “Go that way, I want to you see it,” pointing a long, slender claw-like finger out into the dark, a brief hiccup of fear went through her before the whirrs and clicking from the animatronic moving above her guided the woman down the hallway. The lights from the puppet’s eyes casted a light glow, enough to keep them from being completely enshrouded in darkness. As she walked, heavier footsteps echoed behind her, a slight turn over her shoulder found several pairs of glowing eyes following her.    
Paling, she swallowed hard and turned back around, the hallway a bit lighter thanks to the eyes behind her. “They’re not going to hurt you,” the puppet reassured, laying its head on her shoulder, “they know you’re not the one who did this to them.” 

“What do you mean?” she was a bit embarrassed at the waiver to her voice, but it wasn’t like she could easily be fearless in this situation. “Everyone’s been here. We all came back because of what he did to us,” confusion was starting to set in, the vague wordings not making any answers come to light for her. “The other children. They’re here, with us, in the suits. Bonnie, Chica, Freddy, Foxy...Everyone, we’re all here,” that clarified it, but also sent a chill down her spine. 

“I thought the bodies were moved,” she whispered, her pace slowing when she saw a light coming from the back room. “Everyone’s here?” she asked then, holding the puppet just a bit closer, almost like a little doll. 

“The spirits, they can’t move on yet,” was the response, head lifting off her shoulder the closer they got. “Be quiet, look,” it whispered, and so she looked. 

 

William was there, pushing something down into a body that seemed more like an unfinished suit. The lighting from the soft bulb near the center of the room cast a glow that showed dark stains on his purple outfit, when he lifted his hand it was covered completely in dark red. The scent of blood was heavy, as was the sting of cleaner, and Cecilia realized that her husband was the one who was murdering the children.    
Taking a slight step back, her lips parted in shock as he pressed with a soft grunt, a haunting crack and squish before whatever it was gave way, his upper arm halfway disappearing into the suit top before he drew back with a satisfied noise. “There we are,” the smooth tone and soft lithe to his words was unmistakable, making his wife’s heart squeeze almost painfully in her chest. Gazing down into it, she could see a light glimmer in his eye that didn’t look like the man she loved, blood smeared over his cheek. Straightening, he carefully set a malformed head over top of the hole and stepped aside, lifting a rag to start cleaning off his hands. 

It was so simplistic, he looked so reassured that it was almost stunning to realize that he had done it before. Nothing was new, this was just another blip on his schedule. 

 

Backing away from the doorway, her hand covered her mouth and she inhaled shakily, blinking as tears bubbled up, hanging on her lower lashes. It was like all the air had left her lungs; everything was starting to come together and the realization was so painful that it was finally,  _ finally  _ triggering the tears she kept stored inside. Curling her fingers around the soft black limb of the marionette on her back, she took a sharp inhale and blinked rapidly, taking another step back and bumping into Bonnie. Trembling a little, thoughts raced through her head, connecting and yet also shattering a few things.    
She thought he would never hurt anybody, even though he looked like he would. She thought he liked children, that everything was enjoyable but did he only like them for the sake of killing them? Why did he kill  _ children _ of all things? Questions were swelling up but the answers would be far too hard to hear, let alone comprehend. Careful not to smush the puppet on her back, Cecilia took another step back before she was pushed gently forward. William was still cleaning, she could hear it, and there was no wish for her to go in there and speak to him. Confusion and hurt took her voice away, the ability to move, anything that wasn’t blinking and trying to grasp what was going on.    
But of course, there was no more time to let her try and grasp this. There was another push and she was being lead by some unseen force into the room, a chill going over her as she stumbled through somehow. The scent of blood was heavier there, the sting of bodily fluids and a little gasp left her lips, alerting the man. He stiffened immediately, his back utterly straightened to his full height as he gazed only at the wall in front of him. Then he slowly turned, his expression carefully blank as they faced each other, the space between them wider than it had ever been before. 

 

“William…” Cecilia whispered to him, feeling the marionette’s arms moving as they readjusted, moving to be cradled up against her chest. “William,” she spoke his name again, a bit louder, and a look passed over his face that she could later place as something akin to  **shame** before everything seemed to go directly wrong.    
A harsh chill swept over the room, such a bone biting cold that she couldn’t help but let out another gasp, shocked that she could see a burst of white mist coming from her lips as if they were in a winterscape. Unable to resist natural movements, she lifted her arm to reach out to him and was instead accosted by thin metallic arms, swept up off her feet with a cry of surprise. Her husband’s arm snapped out to try and catch her hand, their fingertips touching for an utterly electrifying moment and her eyes widened when she realized what happened in those moments.    
Pulled up closer to the ceiling, she had a bird’s eye view of the entire room, and she could see the stains on the flooring and the blood seeping through the suit already. There was another suit resting up against the wall, golden in color and surrounded by slight puddles of rainwater. Holding onto the vine-like limbs around her, she realized that both the puppet and Mangle were tangled up around her, holding her in place to bear witness to what would be William’s first punishment. 

 

The colorful smears were appearing again, but this time when gazed upon directly they remained there. Bright blues and whites, dazzling colors, it was almost confusing to know what they were until forms started to appear. While it seemed more nondescript doll-like shapes, they were obviously much more present for William due to his harsh gasp and step backwards, immediately in a defensive position. He studied them for a long moment before moving backwards when one of the figures came closer to him. A little dance-like routine started, one would move towards him and he would immediately and quickly move away from them, shaking his head from time to time. “Get back, get  _ back- _ ” he hissed out before looking up, making eye contact with his wide eyed wife. His hands stretched upwards, reaching out to her and she couldn’t help but reach back down, her hands shaking heavily when she realized the spots of blood still smeared upon his hands. But fuck, she couldn’t help herself, even when both the animatronic and puppet around her shrieked out in response, dropping down slightly at the same time one of the figures came far too close to him, making their hands fumble clumsily against each other as he jerked back to avoid getting hurt from the attack from above, knocking into the large brown bear animatronic that had trailed inside. “Will!” Cecilia cried out, her hand still outstretched to him as she was pulled back up, watching as he quickly pulled himself away from Freddy, stepping back briefly and looking around the room almost desperately.    
Quickly, he scrambled to the suit and slotted himself into it, slowly unfurling himself from against the wall. 

Everyone was still for that moment, and then a brief, almost disbelieving laugh left the man before genuinely the worst noise Cecilia had ever heard in her life echoed through the room. 

 

The spring locks snapped, loud crunching immediately followed by a long howl of pain. 

 

Several more sharp cracks echoed through the room, his screams cut off into gagging and even sobbing, several harsh cries leaving him in tandem. 

Cecilia didn’t know how long she heard her husband crying out in pain until there was nothing but the faintest pittering of rain that had gone unnoticed during the entirety of the ordeal. He was still against the wall where he had collapsed after his legs gave out, crumbled in on himself. There was a light pink tint to the water around him, the golden fur of the suit growing darker around a few certain patches, especially closer to joints.    
The sight was horrible. 

 

Cecilia didn’t notice she was being lowered until a soft tap sounded, her feet resting on the floor before she fell to her knees clumsily, a claw briefly supporting her arm before she was gently let go. Sitting there a moment, the dazzling colors glowed in her peripheral, but she only had eyes for the rabbit suit sitting mere feet away from her. It was still so cold, the puppet wrapped around her speaking something her brain didn’t care to translate, the chill getting closer until she shut her eyes, feeling as even her very core was freezing cold instead of the familiar burning heat she was so used to.    
All at once it was gone and she slumped, hugging herself and the puppet still wrapped around her in what felt like an embrace. Shivering, she squeezed her eyes tightly and took a sharp inhale before opening her eyes, looking at the dark flooring before looking up at the suit against the wall once more.    
Moving almost robotically, her hands pressed into the hard concrete as she crawled over, the scent of cleaner and blood almost overwhelming when she was in his space. She didn’t know when the Puppet had left her until the little pressure was gone, the faint tickle of breath gone from her ear. But it was all right.    
Reaching, she touched the suit’s shoulder and heard the faintest rumble, almost an absent noise. Inhaling sharply, she ran her fingers over the fur before she sat down right beside him.    
“William,” she spoke her husband’s name softly, reverently as she glimpsed a few strands of hair through the front of the mask, the blood glinting off the light. Shakily, she touched the snout of the rabbit and carefully drew it up, peering inside.    
His lips were parted enough that she could see the metal inside, jammed haphazardly through the entire lower part of his face, blood seeping over his soft pink lips. Another low rumble left, the softest dip of a moan and she wondered if he was still alive, sitting there completely in pain. 

“I..William, I can’t…” she whispered as her eyesight started to blur. Blinking, large tears rolled down her cheeks, everything starting to come out. “Why? What in the hell were you...why did you have to…?” taking a shaking breath, she shook her head then, leaning in and pressing herself against his side, shutting her eyes tightly. “I still love you, I do, but I just don’t understand you. But you’re gone now and I can’t…” she trailed off, breathing funny. Her questions would stay unanswered, she wasn’t ever going to figure out what made him do any of this. Would she even be able to forgive him?    
Oh, she hated how doubtful all of this made her feel; did she really need to doubt her love? Of course this was terrible, but she still loved him. This was the man who smiled every time he laid eyes on her, who wrapped her up and made her feel the safest she had felt in eons. This dangerous man had flirted with her and yanked her into his world, wormed his way into the softest part of her heart and now he was just...gone. 

All he was now was a body starting to lose warmth inside of a musty rabbit costume.    
Turning her head, she pressed herself a bit harder against his side, wrapping her arms around his torso and dug her nails into the matted, damp fur. Remembering that the last words he had spoken to her was their farewells, wishes bubbled up in her mouth and she wished she could have said so much more to him. Burying her face in the crook of his neck, she inhaled shakily and was hit with  _ his  _ scent. The aftershave, the cloves from the cigarettes he never let her catch smoking but also never bothered to hide the box from her, the cleaners he had used not even an hour ago, and the blood that had once laid inside of him. Breathing all of this in, it felt too painfully close to how she held her daughter, and she remembered that she now lost two members of her family two weeks apart from each other. Pain welled up, loss and heartbreak as she breathed him in and realized that she would never hear him speak her name and smile at her in that sweet way he did; she had lost the man who pulled her into his life without a second thought and who she loved even after realizing he committed horrible crimes. 

 

With this, Cecilia began to cry. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the first fic i have ever ended and wow, it feels so bittersweet.   
> thank you for reading, thank you for enjoying, and i'll see you all in the next part <3

**Author's Note:**

> if you know where to find me you know where to find me,,


End file.
